Federal prosecutors charge Mangione with manslaughter CEO murder: NPR

Luigi Mangione, a suspect in the slaying of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is being escorted by police from an NYPD helicopter Thursday in New York, where he faces four counts of federal charges, including murder.

Pamela Smith/AP

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Pamela Smith/AP

Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel earlier this month, was indicted Thursday on federal counts of murder, stalking and weapons offenses, in addition to his earlier indictment on state charges.

During a brief afternoon hearing in a lower Manhattan court, Judge Katharine Parker read the four federal charges against the 26-year-old Mangione that were dismissed in newly filed court documents earlier Thursday. He was extradited from Pennsylvania to New York for the hearing.

Judge Parker ruled that Mangione will remain in custody until his next hearing in mid-January and that he will not be released on bail, the Associated Press reported.

In the newly unsealed complaint, federal prosecutors say Mangione took a bus to New York City and waited outside a hotel where Thompson was staying at an investor conference. According to prosecutors, Mangione then shot the health insurance executive with an untraceable handgun and fled to Pennsylvania.

Federal Taxes

If convicted in federal court, Mangione faces the death penalty.

The federal charges against him include: one count of using a firearm to commit murder, which carries a maximum sentence of death or life in prison; one count of interstate stalking resulting in death; and one count of stalking using interstate facilities resulting in death (each carries a maximum sentence of life in prison); and one count of discharging a firearm equipped with a silencer to commit a violent felony (which carries a sentence of 30 years to life in prison).

State taxes

Mangione also faces 11 counts in New York state court. On Tuesday, a A Manhattan grand jury indicted Mangione for murder as an act of terrorism, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a forged instrument. He also faces charges in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested inside a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa., five days after the shooting.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg described Thompson’s death as “a terrifying, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation.”

The words “deny”, “delay” and “delay” – language often used to criticize the tactics of health insurance companies – were found written on some of the casings discovered at the crime scene. New York police had focused on the casings as evidence of a possible motive.

Mangione waived his right to contest extradition to New York this morning and arrived aboard an NYPD helicopter ahead of a 10 a.m. court appearance. Mangione had initially fought extradition.

After the hearing, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Edward Kim, said in a statement that Mangione allegedly killed Thompson “in a grossly misguided attempt to broadcast Mangione’s views across the country.”

Karen Friedman Agnifilo, the high-profile attorney representing Mangione, reserved comment after Thursday’s hearing but said in court she was caught off guard by the federal charges, according to member station WNYC reporter Samantha Max.

The lawyer said Wednesday night: “The federal government’s reported decision to pile on top of an already overcharged first degree murder and state terrorism case is highly unusual and raises serious constitutional and statutory double jeopardy concerns.”

She also said Mangione’s legal team is “ready to fight these charges in whatever court they are brought.”

Notebook found on Mangione has alleged writings about plans to target the health insurance chief

The 10-page federal charging document, unsealed Thursday, also reveals new details about the events leading up to Thompson’s death. According to the complaint filed by FBI Special Agent Gary Cobb, Mangione was found in possession of a notebook that “contained numerous handwritten pages expressing hostility toward the health insurance industry and particularly wealthy executives.”

In a notebook entry dated Aug. 15, 2024, the complaint states that writings described how “the details are finally coming together” and “I’m glad — in a way — that I delayed, like (because) it allowed me to learn more about (acronym for Company-1).” The notebook post also said that “the goal is insurance” because “it checks every box.”

In another entry corresponding to Oct. 22 — less than two months before the shooting occurred on the morning of the UnitedHealthcare investor conference that Thompson was reportedly scheduled to attend — the notebook read: “1.5 months. This investor conference is a real windfall … and – most importantly – the message becomes self-evident.” The post goes on to describe an intention to “wake up” the CEO of one of the insurance companies at its investor conference.

This alleged targeted attack has led to anger towards the health insurance industry, with some people even praising the shooter’s actions on social media. A small crowd of protesters was seen outside the Manhattan courthouse on Thursday holding signs in support of Mangione.