A series of criminal charges reveal details about the man accused of ambushing and murdering UnitedHealthcare’s CEO Brian Thompson as he arrived at a Manhattan hotel for his company’s annual investor conference. The charges, filed in state courts in New York and Pennsylvania, as well as in federal court in Manhattan, total 20 counts and depict Luigi Mangione as both a terrorist and a stalker. Among the accusations are possession of a ghost gun and a fake ID, with potential penalties including life imprisonment and the federal death penalty.
In his latest court appearance, 26-year-old Mangione pleaded not guilty in a New York state court to an indictment consisting of 11 counts related to the December 4 killing, including murder as a crime of terrorism. This followed hearings in Pennsylvania and federal court, where he was ordered to be detained without bail on murder, gun, and stalking charges.
Mangione’s attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, has raised concerns about the conflicting nature of the terrorism allegations in the state case and the stalking charges in the federal complaint. She characterized the treatment of her client by prosecutors as confusing and theatrical.
The New York indictment includes charges of terrorism aimed at intimidating or coercing a group of people and influencing government policy through intimidation. It also includes gun-related charges and a count related to a fake driver’s license Mangione allegedly used in Manhattan prior to the killing.
The federal complaint outlines four counts, including a charge that is eligible for the death penalty if Mangione is convicted. This charge is for murder through the use of a firearm, with the possibility of the death penalty pending further decisions by prosecutors.
Mangione remains in federal jail in Brooklyn while authorities determine his detention status as both state and federal cases proceed.
Mangione was never a client. Among the entries, the complaint said, was one from August that said “the target is insurance” because “it checks every box” and one from October that describes an intent to “wack” an insurance company CEO. Pennsylvania: 5 counts, including gun possession and false IDMangione was arrested on Dec. 9 in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles (about 370 kilometers) west of New York City, and initially charged there with possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery, and providing false identification to police. Blair County Peter Weeks said last week that he intends to keep the case active and plans to revisit it once Mangione’s murder charges are adjudicated. Mangione was arrested while eating breakfast at an Altoona McDonald’s after a customer noticed that he looked like the person in surveillance photos that police were circulating of Thompson’s killer. Officers found a gun that matched the one used in the shooting, a fake ID, and writings that expressed hostility toward the health insurance industry, prosecutors said. Hours later, the Manhattan DA’s office filed paperwork for a warrant for Mangione’s arrest on a murder charge. Mangione, who was held without bail in Pennsylvania, headed off a protracted extradition fight by agreeing to be flown to New York last Thursday.
