NEW YORK– Luigi Mangione is now in federal custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center Brooklyn after he was extradited from Pennsylvania to face murder charges in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Mangione flew into MacArthur Airport on Long Island and was escorted by an NYPD helicopter into Lower Manhattan, flanked by armed law enforcement officers and Mayor Eric Adams.
“This act of terror and violence will not be tolerated in the city,” Adams said.
The 26-year-old murder suspect faced a federal judge Thursday afternoon on four counts, including murder, stalking and firearms offenses.
What does the federal complaint say?
The complaint contains photos which reportedly show Mangione by bike towards the Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattanwhere Thompson was murdered on December 4, and then left after the murder.
The complaint also describes a notebook that investigators say Mangione had with pages expressing “hostility toward the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular.” It describes a post from August 18, 2024 that said: “the details are finally coming together… the goal is insurance… it checks every box.”
Additionally, the complaint includes a photo of what investigators say a loaded 9mm pistol and silencerin accordance with the weapon used in the shooting.
Federal charges open the possibility of the death penalty
The new charges follow an eleven-count indictment by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg earlier this week, that included state charges of first-degree murder and terrorism.
Mangione’s attorney declined to comment on the new charges outside court Thursday, but later said she was concerned about double jeopardy given the parallel charges.
“We have been running state prosecutions and federal prosecutions as parallel cases, and we are in discussions with our law enforcement partners,” Bragg said.
“We will respectfully decline to comment at this time. Mr. Mangione appreciates everyone’s support,” the attorney said. Karen Friedman Agnifilo said.
While New York does not impose the death penalty, the federal government does. So the new charges increase the possibility, if prosecutors choose to pursue them.
MDC Brooklyn is no stranger to notable cases
MCD Brooklyn is the only federal prison in New York City since MCC New York, where Jeffrey Epstein died by suicidewas closed in 2021. It is home to 1,200 people, mostly those awaiting federal trial in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
The prison has a long history of high-profile cases and complaints. Sean “Diddy” Combs is also held there after he was repeatedly denied bail on sex trafficking charges.
R. Kelly has sued the prison wrongly placed him on suicide watch after his sentencing in 2022and Sam Bankman-Fried’s lawyer said he survived on bread, water and peanut butter after prison failed to provide vegan food when he was there last year.
Yes Rule too spent a short time at MDC Brooklyn on weapons charges, and the Rev. Al Sharpton went on hunger strike there in 2001 while serving a 90-day prison sentence for protesting the U.S. Navy bombing of Vieques Island, Puerto Rico.
