Luigi Mangione pleads guilty in federal case related to UnitedHealthcare CEO killing

Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty Friday in New York federal court to stalking UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson before fatally shooting him on a midtown Manhattan street in December 2024.

Mangione’s lawyers immediately afterward filed a motion in New York state court saying that charges of murder and multiple firearms counts against the Ivy League graduate in that court for Thompson’s slaying should be tossed out under the state’s double jeopardy law because of his federal plea.

Mangione, 28, faces a possible maximum sentence of life in prison when he is sentenced on Dec. 18. But federal sentencing guidelines suggest a sentence in the range of 24 to 30 years in prison.

Thompson’s company, a division of UnitedHealth Group, is the largest health insurer in the United States.

Thompson, 50, was gunned down on Dec. 4, 2024, on the sidewalk outside the Hilton Hotel.

Mangione said Friday in Manhattan U.S. District Court that “after years of enduring severe pain from a broken back, navigating the obstacles of the health insurance system and witnessing similar experiences of countless others, I learned that United Healthcare would be holding its annual investor conference in New York City on December 4, 2024, although the specific location was not publicly disclosed.”

He told Judge Margaret Garnett that he then “emailed United Healthcare leadership posing as an investor at a firm managing over $50 billion in assets and requesting information about the conference.”

“Unlike my previous interactions with insurers, I received an immediate response within an hour,” Mangione said.

“Before traveling to New York, I used a 3-D printer to make part of a gun, and I equipped the gun with the silencer and magazine,” he said. “My travel to New York and email to United Healthcare was with the intent to shoot Brian Thompson.”

“I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan, and he died,” said Mangione, who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020. “When I did so, I understood that my actions would place him in fear of death or serious bodily injury. I knew what I was doing was illegal.

Five days after gunning down Thompson, Mangione was apprehended by local police in a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, when a person recognized him from a surveillance photo.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald said he will seek a sentence of life for the charges of interstate stalking resulting in Thompson’s death, and use of electronic communications to stalk the CEO.

McDonald and Amanda Houle, chief of the office’s criminal division, were sitting in the front row of court next to Thompson’s widow and family during Friday’s plea hearing, MS NOW reported. UnitedHealthcare executives sat in the row behind them.

“Today’s guilty plea marks an important step toward justice for Brian and for our family,” Thompson’s family said in a statement. “While nothing will ease the pain of losing him, we are grateful that the federal justice system has held the person responsible for this heinous act accountable.”

“Now we look to the court to ensure that sentencing reflects the severity of this crime,” the family said. “We remain mindful that additional proceedings in New York and Pennsylvania are still to come, and we will continue to seek the justice Brian deserves.”

Mangione’s plea came weeks before jury selection is scheduled to start for his Manhattan Supreme Court trial on a charge of murdering Thompson.

It is not clear if that trial will begin on Sept. 8 given defense attorneys’ new motion asking a judge to toss the state charges because of Friday’s plea in federal court.

Under New York’s double jeopardy law, a person cannot be separately prosecuted for offenses based upon the same criminal act, a state appeals court has held.

“Despite this being a single isolated event, Mr. Mangione has been unfairly treated since the outset in every way,” his lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, told reporters after the plea hearing.

“He’s been treated differently from every other defendant charged with this offense in New York,” Friedman Agnifilo said.

“As Luigi explained in court today, he endured years of severe, debilitating pain following a broken back while struggling to navigate our healthcare and health insurance systems,” she said. “Like the thousands of people who have reached out since this tragedy to share their own experiences, he believed that system had failed him and destroyed his life.”

A spokeswoman for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office is prosecuting Mangione in state court, said in a statement the office would fight the effort to dismiss the case.

“Since December 2024, the Manhattan D.A.’s Office has been tirelessly preparing to pursue a trial conviction in New York State Supreme Court for the alleged cold-blooded murder of Brian Thompson,” the spokeswoman said.

“We are encouraged that Mr. Thompson’s family received a measure of accountability today. While federal sentencing is pending, we are prepared to litigate the defense motions,” the spokeswoman said. “The Manhattan D.A.’s Office remains committed to seeking justice for Mr. Thompson and his family.”

UnitedHealth Group, in a statement after the plea hearing, said, “Brian Thompson’s life was cut short by an act of violence that devastated everyone who knew and loved him.”

“We are grateful to law enforcement for bringing Brian’s murderer to justice, and our thoughts remain with Brian’s family and loved ones during this difficult time,” the company said.