Luigi Mangione has pleaded “not guilty” to federal charges related to the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Mangione is facing both federal and state charges. The federal charges include murder through the use of a firearm, two counts of stalking, and use of a firearm in the commission of a crime.
The 26-year-old from Maryland is facing the death penalty if convicted on the federal murder charge.
On Friday, Mangione entered his not guilty plea before Judge Margaret Garnett. His lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, also asked that the federal case take priority over the state charges and that she not seek the death penalty.
Mangione is accused of fatally shooting Thompson in cold blood on the streets of New York City in December, allegedly driven by frustration with the U.S. healthcare system. The murder was captured on security footage.
A handwritten letter found on Mangione at the time of his arrest labeled insurance companies “parasitic” and decried corporate greed, sentiments echoed by bullet casings at the crime scene inscribed with “DENY,” “DEPOSE,” and “DELAY”—terms often linked to insurance claim denials.
In a statement about the case, Bondi said, “Luigi Mangione’s murder of Brian Thompson — an innocent man and father of two young children — was a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America.”
“After careful consideration, I have directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in this case as we carry out President Trump’s agenda to stop violent crime and Make America Safe Again,” Bondi continued.
The political nature of the shooting and widespread frustration with insurance companies have catapulted Mangione into a sort of folk hero status among leftists.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to the 11 state charges, which also include murder.
The next federal court date is December 5, 2025. The trial will likely begin in 2026.
As The Gateway Pundit reported earlier this month, a proposed ballot initiative named the “Luigi Mangione Access to Health Care Act” has been submitted to the California Attorney General’s Office in honor of the accused murderer.
The proposal would amend the state’s Health and Safety Code to curb insurers’ ability to deny or delay medical treatments recommended by physicians.
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