Luigi Mangione, the defendant suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is facing four new federal counts, according to recently unsealed court documents.
Mangione was already facing state charges in New York and Pennsylvania, but the newly filed federal accusation of murder with a firearm may allow investigators to pursue the death sentence.
He also faces a federal guns charge and two counts of stalking, according to an unsealed complaint obtained by Courthouse News Service.
Mangione is accused of shooting Thompson outside the New York Hilton Midtown, where the CEO was scheduled to address an annual investors gathering. The killing drew national attention as officials hunted for the perpetrator for days before finding Mangione at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
Mangione was brought from Pennsylvania to New York on Thursday after he waived extradition. Mayor Eric Adams (D) was spotted transporting Mangione, along with a huge squad of armed law enforcement officers, when the suspect landed in New York City via helicopter.
The new federal lawsuit also provides new information concerning an alleged notebook Mangione held, stating that it “contained several handwritten pages that express hostility towards the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular.”
It allegedly featured an item dated Oct. 22 — six weeks before the death — in which the investor meeting was described as a “true windfall” and Mangione expressed a desire to “wack” the CEO of an insurance company.
Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Mangione’s attorney, stated that they will defend the allegations “in whatever court they are brought.”
Earlier this week, state prosecutors in Manhattan accused Mangione with 11 counts, including first-degree murder and second-degree murder as a terrorist act. First-degree murder carries a maximum punishment of life in prison without parole.
The alleged murder was described in the charging documents as an attempt to “intimidate or coerce” individuals and influence government policies and conduct.
According to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D), the 26-year-old’s alleged attack jeopardized the safety of both locals and tourists in one of New York City’s most “bustling areas.”
“This was a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation,” according to him.
Agnifilo accused federal prosecutors of laying unneeded allegations against Mangione.
“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 before the charges were released.
Mangione is now facing charges in Pennsylvania, where police say he was arrested with a ghost gun, silencer, and notes expressing hostility toward corporate America on his person.
