Luigi Mangione Charged with the Stalking and Murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and Use of a Silencer in a Crime of Violence

A criminal complaint was unsealed today charging Luigi Nicholas Mangione, 26, of Towson, Maryland, in connection with the Dec. 4 murder of UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan. Mangione was taken into federal custody today and will be presented this afternoon in Manhattan federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Katharine H. Parker for the Southern District of New York.

“Today, the Justice Department has brought federal murder charges against Luigi Mangione,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “As alleged, Mangione planned his attack for months and stalked his victim for days before murdering him — methodically planning when, where, and how to carry out his crime. I am grateful to our state and local law enforcement partners for their tireless efforts to locate and apprehend the defendant and to ensure that he answers for his alleged crime.”

“Brian Thompson was gunned down in cold blood as he walked down a street in midtown Manhattan,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Edward Y. Kim for the Southern District of New York. “Thompson was allegedly killed just because he held the position of chief executive officer of a health insurance company. As alleged, Luigi Mangione traveled to New York to stalk and shoot Thompson in broad daylight in front of a Manhattan hotel, all in a grossly misguided attempt to broadcast Mangione’s views across the country. But this wasn’t a debate, it was murder, and Mangione now faces federal charges. This office and its law enforcement partners remain steadfast in our commitment to fight violence in whatever form it takes.”

“Luigi Mangione allegedly conducted the carefully premeditated and targeted execution of Brian Thompson to incite national debates,” said Assistant Director James E. Dennehy of the FBI New York Field Office. “This alleged plot demonstrates a cavalier attitude towards humanity — deeming murder an appropriate recourse to satiate personal grievances. Through continued close partnership with the NYPD, the FBI maintains our steadfast commitment to fervently pursue any individual who promotes a personal agenda through violence.”

“NYPD detectives worked relentlessly to identify and widely distribute images of the suspect who allegedly carried out this premeditated, preplanned, targeted murder, and they are committed to assisting prosecutors in seeing this important case through to its rightful conclusion,” said Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch of the New York City Police Department (NYPD). “This senseless incident highlights the critical role of the public in the NYPD’s public safety mission, and I thank everyone who saw something, said something, and did something.  It is because of the public’s actions that we now have an alleged killer in custody back in New York City.”

As alleged in the complaint, over the course of the last several months, Mangione meticulously planned the execution of Brian Thompson in an effort to initiate a public discussion about the healthcare industry. Mangione targeted the victim, tracked his whereabouts, and traveled from out of state to New York City, where the victim was scheduled to attend the company’s investor conference. After arriving in the city on Nov. 24, more than one week before the murder, Mangione performed reconnaissance in the area around the victim’s hotel and the conference venue where the victim was scheduled to speak. Using a false identification, Mangione checked into an Upper West Side hostel.

In the early morning hours of Dec. 4, Mangione traveled by bicycle from the Upper West Side to the area around West 54th Street and Sixth Avenue. At approximately 6:45 a.m., Mangione strategically placed himself in between two cars on West 54th Street, and as the victim passed by, Mangione walked up behind the victim and fired several gunshots from a 9mm pistol causing the victim’s death. The pistol was equipped with what appeared to be a firearm sound suppressor or silencer. After the murder, Mangione fled on his bicycle northbound through Central Park and ultimately back to the Upper West Side.

On Dec. 9, Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, while he sat in a fast-food restaurant after being recognized by one of the restaurant’s workers. Members of the Altoona Police Department confronted Mangione, who provided the same false identification that he used when checking into the Upper West Side hostel. Mangione was also found in possession of, among other things, a 9mm pistol and a sound suppressor consistent with the weapon used to kill the victim.

Mangione is charged with one count of using a firearm to commit murder, which carries a maximum penalty of death or life in prison; one count of interstate stalking resulting in death, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison; one count of stalking through use of interstate facilities resulting in death, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison; and one count of discharging a firearm that was equipped with a silencer in furtherance of a crime of violence, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison and a mandatory minimum penalty of 30 years. A federal district court judge will determine any sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force and NYPD are investigating the case. The Justice Department also thanks the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, which has brought a separate prosecution against Mangione, which is currently expected to proceed to trial before the federal case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dominic A. Gentile, Jun Xiang, and Alexandra Messiter for the Southern District of New York are prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Department of Justice
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Source: Justice.gov