Luigi Mangione Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges in UnitedHealthcare CEO's Fatal Shooting
Time · LC · trust 64/100
Luigi Mangione on Friday pleaded guilty to both federal stalking charges against him in connection with the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, admitting in court that he shot the healthcare executive in 2024.
Mangione pleaded guilty to two charges that each carry a possible life sentence: interstate stalking resulting in death and stalking through use of interstate facilities resulting in death. The judge accepted his plea.
“I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan,” Mangione told the judge on Friday, according to the New York Times. “I understood that my actions would place him in fear of death or bodily injury. I knew what I was doing was illegal.”
He said he had 3-D printed a gun and attached a silencer.
Mangione did not face murder charges in federal court. The federal judge on Friday set a hearing date of Dec. 18 for Mangione’s sentencing.
The guilty plea marks a remarkable shift in Mangione’s defense, as he had previously pleaded not guilty to all the federal and state charges he was facing.
Thompson's family said in a statement shared with news outlets after the hearing on Friday that Mangione's guilty plea "marks an important step toward justice for Brian and for our family."
“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,” the family said. “Now we look to the court to ensure the sentencing reflects the severity of this crime.”
UnitedHealth Group, the parent company of United Healthcare, also shared a statement after Friday's hearing, saying: "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."
Mangione, 28, was arrested in December 2024 on suspicion of fatally shooting Thompson in New York City five days earlier while the health executive was walking to a conference. The case quickly drew the attention of people across the country, some of whom regarded Mangione as a symbol for those who are frustrated with the health insurance industry in the U.S.
The 28-year-old’s state murder trial is scheduled to start next month in New York. The state charges he’s facing carry a possible sentence of 25 years to life. It’s not yet clear what impact, if any, his federal guilty plea could have on the state charges against him. Mangione’s lawyers told reporters on Friday that they have filed a motion arguing that the state case against him should be dropped because his federal guilty plea triggers double jeopardy, which bars prosecuting a person for the same crime twice, the Times reported. But the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said in a statement to The Guardian that "while federal sentencing is pending, we are prepared to litigate the defense motions."
The judge in federal court on Friday said that if Mangione is found guilty in the state case against him, that could be added to his federal sentence.
In January, the federal judge ruled out the possibility of Mangione facing the death penalty. A few months earlier, Mangione’s lawyers were also successful in getting terrorism-related state charges against him dropped .
The Trump Administration has publicly condemned Mangione, with then-Attorney General Pam Bondi saying last year that the Justice Department would seek the death penalty against him.
“Luigi Mangione’s murder of Brian Thompson—an innocent man and father of two young children—was a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America,” she said at the time.
After Bondi’s announcement last year, Mangione’s attorneys claimed that “the United States government intends to kill Mr. Mangione as a political stunt.”
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