Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty on Friday in Manhattan federal court to federal charges of interstate stalking resulting in death, admitting that he shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a midtown Manhattan sidewalk in December 2024.
The plea, entered before Judge Margaret Garnett, marks a dramatic reversal for the 28-year-old, who had initially pleaded not guilty in both the federal and state cases against him. Mangione now faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, with federal sentencing scheduled for 18 December. Prosecutors have recommended a sentence of 24 to 30 years, but Garnett told Mangione in court that the recommendation is not binding and that she ultimately decides his sentence. There is no parole in the federal system.
Thompson, a 50-year-old father of two, was shot from behind on the morning of 4 December 2024 as he walked into the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan, where UnitedHealthcare was holding its annual investor conference. His company, a division of UnitedHealth Group, is the largest health insurer in the United States.
Mangione’s courtroom admission
Wearing a beige prison outfit, Mangione appeared solemn and serious throughout the hearing. Reading a statement aloud to the court, he admitted to planning the attack ahead of time, crossing state lines with the intent to kill, and using a gun he had partially printed on a 3-D printer, equipped with a silencer and magazine. He told the court he was driven to kill Thompson because of his experience with the healthcare system.
Mangione told Garnett that after years of enduring severe pain from a broken back, navigating the obstacles of the health insurance system, and witnessing similar experiences of countless others, he learned that UnitedHealthcare would hold its annual investor conference in New York City on 4 December 2024, although the specific location was not publicly disclosed. He said he then emailed UnitedHealthcare leadership posing as an investor at a firm managing over $50 billion in assets, requesting information about the conference. Unlike his previous interactions with insurers, he said, he received an immediate response within an hour.
“I emailed UnitedHealthcare with the intent to shoot Brian Thompson,” Mangione said in his statement. “On the morning of Dec. 4, 2024 I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan in his back.” He told the court he understood that his actions would place Thompson in fear of death or serious bodily injury, and that he knew what he was doing was illegal. Mangione, who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020, also faces state charges in New York.
A legal battle over double jeopardy
Mangione’s guilty plea could now complicate his New York state case. His lawyers immediately filed a motion in state court arguing that the charges should be tossed out under New York’s double jeopardy law, which prevents a person from being separately prosecuted for offenses based upon the same criminal act. The state trial had been slated to begin in September, and it is not clear whether jury selection will proceed as scheduled on 8 September given the new defense motion.
On the steps of the court, his lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo argued that because Mangione already pleaded guilty to federal charges, the state case runs afoul of double jeopardy protections. “New York law does not permit a person to be prosecuted and punished twice for the exact same crime,” she said. She also said that in making the guilty plea, Mangione has accepted full responsibility for Thompson’s death, and she criticized the handling of his case, saying he had been “treated differently from every other defendant charged with this offense in New York.”
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office says it is prepared to go ahead with the state prosecution. A spokeswoman for Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg said the office has been preparing to pursue a trial conviction and would fight the effort to dismiss the case. “We are encouraged that Mr. Thompson’s family received a measure of accountability today,” the office said. “While federal sentencing is pending, we are prepared to litigate the defense motions.”
Thompson’s family issued a statement calling the plea an important step toward justice. “While nothing will ease the pain of losing him, we are grateful that the federal justice system has held the person responsible for this heinous act accountable,” the family said. “Now we look to the court to ensure that sentencing reflects the severity of this crime.” The family said it will continue to seek justice in both New York state and Pennsylvania, where Mangione was arrested five days after the shooting when a person recognized him from a surveillance photo at a McDonald’s in Altoona.
UnitedHealth Group said in a statement that Thompson’s life was cut short by an act of violence that devastated everyone who knew and loved him. The company said it is grateful to law enforcement for bringing Thompson’s murderer to justice. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald said he will seek a sentence of life in prison for the charges, which include interstate stalking resulting in death and use of electronic communications to stalk the CEO.