Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old from Maryland charged as a suspect in the Dec. 4 murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, now faces federal charges on top of his criminal cases in New York and Pennsylvania.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan filed charges of murder by use of a firearm, two counts of stalking and a firearms offense against Mangione on Thursday afternoon. That morning, Mangione waived extradition to New York, where he was indicted on charges of murder in furtherance of terrorism and several weapons offenses.
Mangione appeared before U.S. Judge Katharine H. Parker late Thursday afternoon at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan federal courthouse and was ordered held without bail and expected to be remanded to Rikers Island.
Wearing khaki pants and a blue sweater instead of his orange prison jumpsuit, the Gilman alumnus answered “yes” when asked if he understood he was charged with murder by use of a firearm, two counts of stalking and a firearms offense .
New York Mayor Eric Adams said Thursday that the city would be actively involved in the Mangione case, adding that people praising the suspect in Thompson’s death in Manhattan are “celebrating the use of force to protect a problem solving” and “despicable”.
Adams was part of a large security escort that took Mangione to the courthouse to face four new federal charges.
“This act of terror and the violence that results from it (Mangione’s case) is something that will not be tolerated in the city. We wanted to be here in person to show the symbolism of leading from the front,” Adams told reporters.
Federal charges raise questions about the death penalty
The development of four federal charges against the Baltimore resident in the Thompson murder case now raises the possibility he could face the death penalty.
Although Mangione previously faced 10 charges in New York and Pennsylvania, he would not be eligible for the death penalty if convicted of three murder charges in New York because the state has ended the practice. However, federal law allows people convicted of murder to receive the death penalty as a punishment.
In Pennsylvania earlier Thursday, a clean-shaven Mangione appeared calm and cheerful as he waived extradition to New York from Pennsylvania to face charges in Thompson’s shooting.
There were no outbursts as he entered, such as during his first appearance at the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, when he shouted at reporters before entering the building.
Mangione responded only to the judge’s questions and simply replied “yes” when asked if he understood his rights and the extradition process.
More than a dozen representatives from the New York Police Department sat in the front row of the packed courtroom in Pennsylvania, which was largely filled with media.
There appeared to be some Mangione supporters present; one woman appeared to cry during the hearing.
A handful of protesters stood outside the courthouse with signs criticizing health insurers and calling for universal health care. Others held signs reading “Free Luigi” and “Murder for profit is terrorism.”
“We have turned him over to the New York City Police Department, and they will return him to New York City in a safe manner,” Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks told reporters after the hearing.
Mangione, who grew up in the Baltimore suburbs as part of a sprawling, wealthy family, graduated in 2016 as valedictorian of the Gilman School.
He is accused of carefully planning Thompson’s murder – traveling to New York to find him, carrying a silenced pistol to carry out the killing, and developing a document detailing his contempt for the insurance sector was recorded, which according to the police was found on him. at the time of his arrest.
Thompson was shot dead as he walked to a Manhattan hotel where Minnesota-based UnitedHealthcare was holding an investor conference.
The court confirmed that Mangione would not return to prison in Pennsylvania, where he has been held since his arrest at a nearby McDonald’s on December 9.
He also will not face gun and forgery charges in the state until the New York case is resolved, Weeks confirmed.
Mangione was indicted Tuesday by a New York grand jury and charged with an act of terrorism in connection with Thompson’s Dec. 4 killing.
Mangione previously faced five charges in New York, the most serious of which was first-degree murder. The indictment raises the stakes and includes first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism, along with two counts of second-degree murder and multiple weapons charges.
Mangione left for New York after the hearing
During Thursday’s hearing, Mangione huddled with his attorney, Tom Dickey, during the proceedings at the Blair County Courthouse. Dickey occasionally placed his hand on the back of Mangione’s chair as he discussed the hearing.
Dickey confirmed to the court that Mangione has legal counsel in New York and was confident an extradition waiver would not jeopardize his defense. Mangione has hired former Manhattan Chief Assistant District Attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo to represent him in New York.
“We are in a position to effect a smooth transition without disruption to the representation of my client,” Dickey told the court as he agreed to waive extradition.
After the roughly 90-minute hearing, Mangione, wearing an orange jumpsuit, was driven out of the courthouse in a black SUV and was then expected to fly to New York. He said nothing to a handful of reporters in the courthouse alley.
Now Mangione could be jailed on Rikers Island in the Bronx while he awaits trial in New York, police said. Additionally, Mangione could face federal charges in Thompson’s death.
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(Sun reporter Raquel Bazos contributed to this story.)
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