Luigi Mangione, accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO, could face death penalty in federal prosecution

New York: Federal prosecutors Thursday unsealed a murder case against the suspect in the shooting of UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive, holding out the possibility of the death penalty even after a trial on separate state charges.

The federal criminal complaint against the suspect, Luigi Mangione, 26, includes one count of using a firearm to commit murder, which carries a maximum potential sentence of death, along with two stalking counts and a firearms offense.

It came two days after the Manhattan district attorney filed state murder and terror charges against Mangione in the killing of the executive, Brian Thompson. Thompson, 50, was gunned down on a Manhattan sidewalk this month.

The highest penalty Mangione could face if convicted in state court would be life in prison without parole.

Mangione was brought back to the city Thursday after an extradition hearing in Pennsylvania, shackled and escorted by a phalanx of law enforcement officers. New York Mayor Eric Adams and top police officials joined the dramatic tableau.

The federal complaint, which is dated Wednesday, accuses Mangione of traveling across state lines — from Atlanta to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York, where he arrived shortly after 10 pm on Nov. 24 — to stalk and ultimately kill Thompson, which would give the federal government jurisdiction to prosecute him.

Mangione was taken Thursday afternoon before a federal magistrate judge in Manhattan, who advised him of his rights. His lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, did not ask for bail.

Edward Y Kim, the acting US attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement that Mangione had traveled to the city to stalk and shoot Thompson “all in a grossly misguided attempt to broadcast Mangione’s views across the country.”

Kim said the state prosecution by the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, is expected to proceed to trial before the federal case. Bragg’s office said in a statement that it was coordinating with federal law enforcement agencies.

Mangione spoke only briefly at the hearing, answering “yes” when the judge, Katharine H Parker, asked if he understood his rights and the charges.

In court, Agnifilo made it clear to the judge that she was unhappy at what she called a “highly unusual situation.” She noted that when the district attorney’s office announced charges against Mangione this week there was “absolutely no mention that Mr Mangione was going to be charged federally.”