Public Affairs Office | Luigi Mangione is charged with stalking and murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and using a silencer in a violent crime

Today, a criminal charge was dropped against Luigi Nicholas Mangione, 26, of Towson, Maryland, in connection with the Dec. 4 killing of UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan. Mangione was taken into federal custody today and will appear in federal court in Manhattan this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Katharine H. Parker for the Southern District of New York.

“Today, the Department of Justice filed federal murder charges against Luigi Mangione,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “As alleged, Mangione planned his attack for months and stalked his victim for days before murdering him – methodically planning when, where and how to commit his crime. I am grateful to our state and local law enforcement partners for their tireless efforts to locate and apprehend the defendant and ensure he is held accountable for his alleged crime.”

“Brian Thompson was shot in cold blood as he walked down a street in midtown Manhattan,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Edward Y. Kim for the Southern District of New York. “Thompson was allegedly killed simply because he held the position of CEO of a health insurance company. As alleged, Luigi Mangione traveled to New York to stalk and shoot Thompson in broad daylight outside a Manhattan hotel, all in a grossly misguided attempt to spread Mangione’s views across the country. But this wasn’t a debate, it was murder, and Mangione now faces federal charges. This office and its law enforcement partners remain true to our commitment to combating violence in all forms.”

“Luigi Mangione allegedly carried out the carefully premeditated and targeted execution of Brian Thompson in order to stir national debate,” said James E. Dennehy, Assistant Director of the FBI’s New York Field Office. “This alleged conspiracy shows a cavalier attitude towards humanity – it sees murder as an appropriate means to assuage personal grievances. By continuing our close partnership with the NYPD, the FBI maintains our unwavering commitment to vigorously prosecute any individual who advances a personal agenda through violence.”

“NYPD investigators have worked tirelessly to identify and widely disseminate images of the suspect alleged to have committed this premeditated, planned and targeted murder, and they are committed to assisting prosecutors in bringing this important case to its rightful conclusion “To bring it,” said Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch of the New York City Police Department (NYPD). “This senseless incident underscores the public’s critical role in the NYPD’s public safety mission, and I thank everyone who saw something, said something and did something.” Because of the public’s behavior, we now have a suspected murderer in New York City Custody.”

As alleged in the lawsuit, Mangione carefully planned Brian Thompson’s execution over the past few months to spark public discussion about the health care industry. Mangione targeted the victim, traced his whereabouts, and traveled from out of state to New York City, where the victim was scheduled to attend the company’s investor conference. After arriving in the city on November 24, more than a week before the murder, Mangione conducted a reconnaissance of the area around the victim’s hotel and the conference venue where the victim was scheduled to speak. Using a false ID, Mangione checked into a hostel on the Upper West Side.

In the early morning hours of December 4, Mangione traveled by bicycle from the Upper West Side to the area around West 54th Street and Sixth Avenue. At approximately 6:45 a.m., Mangione strategically positioned himself between two cars on West 54th Street, and as the victim passed, Mangione walked behind the victim and fired several shots from a 9mm handgun, causing the victim’s death. The pistol was fitted with what appeared to be a firearm silencer or silencer. After the murder, Mangione fled north on his bicycle through Central Park and eventually back to the Upper West Side.

On December 9, Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania while sitting at a fast food restaurant after being recognized by one of the restaurant employees. Members of the Altoona Police Department confronted Mangione, who presented the same false ID he used to check into the Upper West Side Hostel. It was also discovered that Mangione was in possession of, among other things, a 9mm pistol and a silencer that matched the weapon used to kill the victim.

Mangione is charged with one count of use of a firearm to commit murder, which carries a maximum penalty of death or life in prison; one count of interstate stalking resulting in death, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison; one count of stalking by use of interstate facilities resulting in death, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison; and one count of discharging a firearm equipped with a silencer in furtherance of a crime of violence, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years. A federal district court judge will decide sentencing taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other legal factors.

The FBI Violent Crimes Task Force and the NYPD are investigating the case. The Justice Department also thanks the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, which has launched a separate prosecution against Mangione, which is currently expected to be heard in federal court.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dominic A. Gentile, Jun Xiang and Alexandra Messiter for the Southern District of New York are prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is simply an accusation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.