UnitedHealthcare CEO murder suspect Luigi Mangione hit with federal charges in New York after waiving extradition

Luigi Mangione, the suspect indicted in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, waived his right to an extradition hearing and was flown from Pennsylvania to New York Thursday afternoon to face federal charges.

Mangione, 26, appeared Thursday morning in Blair County, Pennsylvania, for a preliminary hearing, where he waived extradition and was subsequently taken into the custody of the New York City Police department.

The suspect was also hit with new federal charges unsealed Thursday: two counts of stalking, murder through use of a firearm and firearms offense. 

He’s expected to appear in lower Manhattan court at 2 p.m. ET.

Mangione now faces federal charges out of New York, 11 New York state charges in the ambush shooting of Thompson, as well as charges out of Pennsylvania.

Thompson was fatally shot on Dec. 4. as he was walking in front of a Midtown Manhattan hotel to speak at a UnitedHealth Group investor conference.

Federal charges

The federal stalking charges center on how Mangione allegedly traveled across state lines from Georgia to New York with the intent “to kill, injure, harass, intimidate” and surveil Thompson, and used electric communications, interstate highways and the internet to carry out “the stalking, shooting and killing of Brian Thompson.”

The complaint, written by a special agent with the FBI, shed new light on the notebook that Mangione was found in possession of when he was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 9.

That notebook contained “several handwritten pages that express hostility toward the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular,” the federal complaint said.

An entry marked for the date of Aug. 15, 2024, said “the details are finally coming together” and stated “the target is insurance” because “it checks every box.”

An entry marked Oct. 22, 2024, said: “1.5 months. This investor conference is a true windfall,” the complaint said. Later on, that entry described an intent to “wack” the CEO of one of the insurance companies at the investor conference. That date was six weeks before the Dec. 4 murder, the same day as the UnitedHealth Group’s investor conference. 

In a letter addressed to “To the Feds,” Mangione allegedly wrote, “I wasn’t working with anyone,” and said his actions were “self-funded,” the complaint said.

Extradited from Pennsylvania to New York

Mangione was attentive during his morning hearing in Pennsylvania and appeared to smile with his attorney during the hourlong proceeding.

After the hearing wrapped, the suspect, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, was ushered out of the courthouse and placed in a black SUV.

Around 10:40 a.m., a motorcade of New York City police and Pennsylvania state police was seen at Altoona-Blair County Airport, where Mangione was loaded on a small plane to travel to New York. The flight took off about 10 minutes later. He arrived to MacArthur Airport on Long Island shortly after noon.

“Everything we did today was in his best interest. We’re ready now to defend, move forward and start defending these charges in New York, and Pennsylvania,” his attorney, Thomas Dickey, said Thursday outside the Blair County courthouse.

After the hearing, Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks told reporters: “He will go forth with New York to await trial or prosecution for his homicide and related charges in New York. We intend to keep our case active and we intend to essentially revisit the case when the defendant is available for prosecution in Blair County.”

Supporters of Mangione were seen outside the court house earlier Thursday morning, some carrying signs that said “Free Luigi.”

Murder indictment

Mangione was indicted Tuesday by New York prosecutors on 11 counts in connection with Thompson’s death.

The Ivy League graduate had been arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, following a five-day manhunt. He was charged in Pennsylvania with felony counts of forgery and carrying a firearm without a license, and a misdemeanor count of using fraudulent identification. 

New York police have said that Mangione may have targeted Thompson because UnitedHealthcare is one of the largest private health insurers in the country. Mangione had suffered a painful “life-altering injury” to his back, and had griped over corporate America and the health care system, according to his writings and social media presence.

The 11-count indictment out of New York charges him with first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder — one of which is charged as killing in the act of terrorism; two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon; four counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon; one count of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon; and one count of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement.

Mangione’s Pennsylvania attorney, Dickey, has said he will plead not guilty in the New York and Pennsylvania cases.

Karen Friedman Agnifilo, one of the attorneys representing Mangione on the New York charges, said Wednesday night that they “are ready to fight these charges in whatever court they are brought.”

“The federal government’s reported decision to pile on top of an already overcharged first-degree murder and state terror case is highly unusual and raises serious constitutional and statutory double jeopardy concerns,” she said.