Luigi Mangione expected to plead guilty in New York federal case

Luigi Mangione expected to plead guilty in New York federal case

Luigi Mangione, the 28-year-old accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is expected to plead guilty in a Manhattan federal case charging him with stalking, according to reports from the New York Times on Thursday, August 13. Mangione is scheduled to appear in federal court on Friday, August 14, for a hearing jointly requested by prosecutors and defense lawyers.

A guilty plea would avoid a federal trial in a case that became a focal point for public frustration with the health insurance industry. While a plea is expected, sources familiar with the matter cautioned that Mangione could still change his mind before or during the hearing. It remains unclear exactly which charges he might admit to, as negotiations are ongoing.

The federal case involves two counts of stalking. Prosecutors allege Mangione traveled by bus from out of state to New York City to ambush Thompson, utilizing the internet, a mobile phone, interstate highways, and a hostel that serves out-of-state customers to plan and execute the attack. He is accused of shooting the 50-year-old executive from behind on December 4, 2024, outside a hotel where an investor conference was being held.

The potential plea comes after several legal shifts. In April 2025, Mangione pleaded not guilty to federal murder, weapons, and stalking charges. However, U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett threw out the murder and weapons charges in January due to legal technicalities. This ruling eliminated the possibility of the death penalty, though Mangione still faces a potential sentence of life without parole for the stalking charges.

The defense has faced other setbacks. In June, Mangione's lawyers indicated they would pursue a psychiatric defense based on extreme emotional disturbance in his state case, only to reverse that decision one day later. Such a defense is not permitted in federal court. Additionally, Judge Garnett ruled that prosecutors could use evidence found in Mangione's backpack during his arrest, including a notebook where authorities say he described his intent to kill an insurance executive and a 3D-printed pistol that investigators claim matches the murder weapon.

Mangione is also facing a separate state case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. In December 2024, he pleaded not guilty to state charges including murder, weapons, forgery, and terrorism; the terrorism charges were dismissed by a judge in September 2025. His state trial is currently scheduled to begin September 8 before Justice Gregory Carro.

If Mangione pleads guilty in the federal case, his legal team is likely to seek the dismissal of state murder charges under New York's double jeopardy law. Mangione previously told a judge in February: It's the same trial twice. One plus one is two. Double jeopardy by any common-sense definition.

The Manhattan District Attorney's office has already signaled it will oppose such a move. Assistant Manhattan District Attorney Joel Seidemann wrote in a letter last month that any guilty pleas must account for the loss of an innocent life and the sanctity of life principle that underpins the state homicide charges. State prosecutors argue the state charges are legally distinct from the federal stalking charges.

The case has attracted significant public attention. Mangione, an Ivy League graduate from a wealthy Maryland family, was arrested on December 9, 2024, at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Police reported that the ammunition used in the killing had the words delay, deny, and depose written on it, mimicking phrases associated with how insurance companies avoid paying claims.

Mangione has become a cause celebre for critics of the health insurance industry. Supporters have attended court dates wearing green clothing and FREE LUIGI T-shirts, and an online legal defense fund has raised more than 1.5 million dollars.

While Mangione remains in a federal jail in Brooklyn, the outcome of Friday's hearing will determine if he avoids a federal trial and how it will impact the state murder trial set for September 8.