The man charged with gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a New York City street two years ago pleaded guilty to federal stalking charges in Manhattan on Friday as Thompson’s family looked on.
Luigi Mangione, 28, revealed for the first time through his allocution to the court that he posed as a potential investor and emailed the insurance giant to confirm the location of the investors conference so he could track Thompson’s location.
“I emailed UnitedHealthcare with the intent to shoot Brian Thompson,” Mangione said in his statement. “On the morning of Dec. 4, 2024 I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan in his back.”
The admitted gunman said he “understood my actions would place [Thompson] in fear of death and bodily injury” and that he “knew what I was doing was illegal.”
Mangione also told the judge that he was driven to kill Thompson because of his experience with the healthcare system as a patient with a back injury. Prosecutors have previously said that Mangione had no personal connection to UnitedHealthcare and he was never a customer.
Thompson’s family issued a rare public statement after the plea hearing, calling it “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 statement said. “Now we look to the court to ensure that sentencing reflects the severity of this crime.”
Mangione faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and prosecutors suggested that his sentencing range under federal guidelines would be 24 to 30 years in prison. Prosecutors later clarified that they would be recommending life in prison, the steepest sentence available.
He will be sentenced at a separate hearing Dec. 18 and the final sentence will be determined by the judge who has full discretion.
His federal court guilty plea is expected to kick off a double jeopardy fight in state court where he still faces murder charges and the possibility of life in prison. Mangione’s defense is expected to argue that the cases cover the same alleged conduct and that proceeding with a state court trial would amount to a legal violation.
Following the guilty plea, Mangione’s lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo said, “We just filed our motion in state court explaining why the state charges must be dismissed under New York’s double jeopardy protections.”
She also discussed Mangione’s rationale.
“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,” Friedman Agnifilo said.
“He believed that the system had failed him and destroyed his life,” the attorney added.
The upcoming double jeopardy fight could stall proceedings in New York Supreme Court where he’s set to stand trial Sept. 8. It could also lead to litigation in appeals court.
In court, Mangione directly answered a standard set of questions from U.S. District Court Judge Margaret Garnett. He said “yes” to whether he understood his right to a jury trial. He also confirmed that he knew he would lose the right to vote, own a firearm and would no longer be eligible to serve on a jury.
He also said he had never been treated for mental illness and that he was clear-headed but that he had taken a sleep drug in recent days.
Thompson’s family arrived in the courtroom shortly before the proceeding was set to begin. Pat Thompson, the victim’s mother, was in the front row along with other relatives and executives from UnitedHealthcare.
The Thompsons have largely remained out of the public eye since the executive was murdered. Fervent followers of Mangione are believed to be responsible for threats to Thompson’s family in the wake of his killing.
Newly installed Manhattan U.S. Attorney James McDonald was in the front row and lawyers for Mangione filed into the courtroom early.
“While the defendant pled guilty, our office does not have a plea agreement with him,” McDonald said outside the courthouse after Mangione’s plea. “Instead, he pled open, which means he pled guilty to all pending counts in the indictment. There are no accommodations or concessions, and we are free to seek the maximum penalty under the law.”
“The result achieved today now allows our office to seek the maximum penalty allowed, life imprisonment, which, as I’ve conveyed to Mr. Thompson’s family, is what we intend to seek,” McDonald added.
Mangione was charged with two federal counts — interstate stalking resulting in death and stalking through use of interstate facilities resulting in death. The charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison and are separate from the state allegations, which include second-degree murder and firearms crimes.
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What Luigi Mangione could gain from plea negotiations
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Mangione’s trial in the state case is expected to begin early next month.
He pleaded not guilty in both cases and previously faced two additional federal counts, including using a firearm to commit murder, which carried a maximum penalty of death. A judge dismissed that charge earlier this year.
The brazen killing of Thompson — a father of two who led the nation’s largest healthcare insurer — put a spotlight on the country’s health insurance industry and widespread frustration over denied claims.
Mangione was arrested at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s restaurant Dec. 9, 2024, five days after Thompson was fatally shot outside a Manhattan hotel that was hosting the investors’ conference.
Among the pieces of evidence found by authorities in Mangione’s backpack was a notebook that detailed his apparent grievances against the industry. At the scene, authorities found a bullet and two shell casings that had the words “delay,” “deny,” “depose” written on them.
Mangione’s attorneys had sought to bar the notebook from being introduced as evidence at his trials, arguing authorities obtained it during an illegal search. Judges in both cases rejected that argument.
