Luigi Mangione Pleads Guilty in Federal Case
Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty Friday in Manhattan federal court to stalking UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and fatally shooting him outside a Midtown hotel on December 4, 2024. Mangione, 28, admitted that he used electronic communications to obtain information about UnitedHealthcare’s investor conference, traveled to New York intending to shoot Thompson, and brought a firearm partly made with a 3-D printer, along with a silencer and magazine.
During his appearance before U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett, Mangione said years of severe back pain and difficulties dealing with the health insurance system influenced his actions. He acknowledged that he knew his conduct was illegal and that Thompson, 50, died as a result of the shooting.
Mangione was arrested five days later at a McDonald’s restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after being recognized from a surveillance image. He now faces a maximum federal sentence of life imprisonment, which Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald said prosecutors will seek. Federal sentencing guidelines, however, indicate a potential prison term of 24 to 30 years. Sentencing is scheduled for December 18.
Immediately after the plea, Mangione’s attorneys asked a New York state court to dismiss separate murder and firearms charges. They argued that continuing the state prosecution would violate New York’s double jeopardy protections because both cases arise from the same act. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said it would oppose the motion and continue pursuing the state case.
A state trial had been scheduled to begin with jury selection on September 8, although that timetable may change while the dismissal request is considered. Thompson’s family called the guilty plea an important step toward accountability and urged the court to impose a sentence reflecting the crime’s severity. UnitedHealth Group also thanked law enforcement and expressed condolences to Thompson’s relatives and colleagues, as additional proceedings remain pending in multiple jurisdictions.