Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare’s CEO on a Manhattan sidewalk last year, has been charged in federal court with murder, stalking, and a firearms offense.
Mangione is facing both state and federal charges in the December 4 death of Brian Thompson, a case that has sparked widespread outrage and frustration with the US health-care system and insurance companies.
Federal prosecutors unsealed charges against Mangione late last year, but he had not been indicted until now.
If convicted, the federal charge of murder with a firearm carries the death penalty. Attorney General Pam Bondi has stated that the Department of Justice will pursue the death penalty in its case against Mangione.
Mangione previously pleaded not guilty to New York state murder and terrorism charges.
When CNN contacted Mangione’s spokesperson on Thursday, he declined to comment.
Earlier this month, after the Justice Department announced that they would seek the death penalty, Mangione’s attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo stated, “We are prepared to fight these federal charges, brought by a lawless Justice Department, as well as the New York State charges, Pennsylvania charges, and anything else they want to pile on Luigi.”
Mangione’s legal team expanded in February with the addition of an experienced death penalty attorney. According to court filings and Mangione’s attorneys, Avraham Moskowitz has represented more than 50 defendants in New York who are eligible for the death penalty.
New York state case to go forward first
Mangione is accused of shooting Thompson as he walked toward a hotel hosting UnitedHealthcare’s annual investor conference in Midtown Manhattan late last year.
The shooting and the subsequent days-long manhunt drew national attention as investigators revealed details about Mangione’s alleged writings and words on bullets discovered at the scene.
Mangione is being held in federal custody in Brooklyn, New York, but officials have said that his case in New York state court will be heard first.
A Manhattan grand jury indicted him on 11 counts, including one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder, as well as additional weapons and forgery charges. If convicted of the state charges, he could face life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The first-degree murder charge alleges that he killed the executive “in furtherance of an act of terrorism,” which is legally defined as the intent to intimidate or coerce a civilian population or a government entity. According to one of the second-degree counts, Mangione committed murder “as a crime of terrorism.”
The 26-year-old is also facing state charges in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested following a week-long manhunt.
When he was apprehended after being spotted in a Pennsylvania McDonald’s, police discovered a “ghost gun” and a notebook full of writings that they believe revealed a well-planned homicide involving stalking his alleged victim.
