Luigi Mangione is expected to plead guilty Friday to a federal stalking charge resulting in the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, according to multiple reports, marking a potentially major development in the closely watched case.
Mangione, 28, is being held in a federal prison in Brooklyn while facing federal and state charges connected to Thompson’s killing.
Thompson was shot and killed early on Dec. 4, 2024, outside the New York Hilton Midtown, where UnitedHealthcare was holding an investor conference. Police have described the killing as a premeditated, targeted attack.
Mangione was arrested days later at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania. Authorities said he possessed a ghost gun, suppressor and manifesto criticizing the health insurance industry.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
A judge later dismissed the most serious federal charges against him, taking the death penalty off the table. Mangione, however, could still face a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.
TMZ reported Wednesday that Mangione’s attorneys were engaged in “serious negotiations” with federal prosecutors over a possible guilty plea. The arrangement would likely take the form of an “open plea,” meaning Mangione would plead guilty without negotiating an exact sentence beforehand.
Instead, the judge would determine the sentence following an evidentiary hearing that could include testimony.
Such an arrangement could allow Mangione’s defense attorneys to present mitigating evidence, including arguments about how his views of the American health care system affected his mental state. Mangione could also testify if he chooses.
The case has generated intense media attention, spawning multiple documentaries and a large group of Mangione supporters.
Two sources with knowledge of the negotiations told The New York Times that Mangione is expected to plead guilty Friday to stalking resulting in Thompson’s death.
But the reported agreement is far from guaranteed.
The sources described negotiations as “sensitive” and warned they could collapse before or even during Friday’s scheduled federal court hearing. Mangione also retains the right to change his mind until the plea is formally entered, including during the hearing itself.
Mangione’s attorneys did not respond to the Times’ request for comment. Jamie McDonald, who leads the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan, confirmed Wednesday only that a hearing was scheduled Friday.
“That’s all we can say at this time,” McDonald said.
A federal plea could also have significant consequences for Mangione’s separate New York prosecution.
Federal and state prosecutors have reportedly been jockeying over which case should proceed first. Mangione’s attorneys have argued that the dual prosecutions violate his rights because they involve “identical facts,” accusing authorities of attempting to get “two bites at the apple.”
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office, however, has indicated it intends to continue pursuing its case.
Prosecutor Joel Seidemann warned last month that the state would object to any federal plea that could “defeat a just outcome” in New York, arguing any guilty plea must account for the seriousness of the offenses, Thompson’s death and the impact on his family.
Mangione’s state trial is currently scheduled for September, while his federal case is scheduled for January.
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