Luigi Mangione pleading guilty to federal charges in shock U-turn in assassination of CEO Brian Thompson

LUIGI Mangione is pleading guilty in federal court to charges related to the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Mangione‘s defense team informed Judge Margaret Garnett on Friday that their client was prepared to plead guilty to two federal stalking charges. Luigi Mangione attended a pre-trial hearing at Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday Credit: Shutterstock Editorial People arrive at federal courthouse ahead of Luigi Mangione hearing on Friday morning Credit: AFP Mangione’s defense attorneys Karen Friedman Agnifilo and Marc Agnifilo arrive at the Manhattan Federal Courthouse on Friday Credit: Reuters Surveillance footage captured the moment Mangione allegedly shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson from behind Credit: Reuters When asked by Judge Garnett if he was pleading guilty to both counts, Mangione responded, “Yes.” The judge then asked Mangione if he had taken any substances in the past two days that could impair his judgement, to which he replied he was taking sleeping medication. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! “Does it impact you in this proceeding?” Garnett asked Mangione, who responded, “No.” The charges Mangione is pleading guilty to, interstate stalking resulting in death and stalking through use of interstate facilities resulting in death, carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. The change of plea comes less than a month before jury selection in his state trial is scheduled to begin on September 8. Mangione, 28, is facing multiple state charges, including second-degree murder, weapons possession, and possession of a forged instrument. He is facing up to 25 years to life in prison if the trial moves ahead and he is convicted. Mangione’s federal trial was scheduled to begin in January 2027. Most read in The Sun On Friday, dozens of Mangione’s morbid supporters gathered outside the federal courthouse in Downtown Manhattan ahead of the hearing to try to get a seat in the main gallery. Since his dramatic extradition to New York in December 2024, Mangione’s lead defense attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, has sought to dismiss the state’s murder indictment on the grounds of double jeopardy. Double jeopardy prohibits a defendant from being tried for the same crime twice; however, the Manhattan district attorney’s office could argue the state charges against Mangione are different from those in the federal indictment. Mangione was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on December 9, 2024, after a cashier at the fast food restaurant called police to report that he looked like the shooter from New York. Bodycam footage showed the moment Altoona police officers approached Mangione, who was seated alone on a laptop, munching on a hash brown, and wearing a face mask and winter beanie. When Altoona police arrested Mangione, they found a bookbag in his possession, which allegedly contained several fake identification cards, a loaded 9mm pistol equipped with a silencer, a notebook, and thousands of dollars in cash. The notebook contained several “handwritten pages that express hostility towards the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particle,” according to court documents. Prosecutors said Mangione had planned Thompson’s assassination as early as August 15, 2024. “The details are finally coming together, the details are finally coming together, and I’m glad – in a way- that I’ve procrastinated,” Mangione allegedly wrote, saying the delay helped him learn more about UnitedHealthCare. He also allegedly “targeted insurance” because it “checks every box.” The shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson sparked a five-day manhunt after the executive was shot in cold blood by a masked, hooded individual outside the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan on December 4, 2024. More to follow… For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos. Like us on Facebook at TheSunUS and follow us on X at @TheUSSun