Luigi Mangione, 28, pleaded guilty Friday in federal court in Manhattan to stalking charges tied to the December 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, admitting for the first time in open court that he tracked and shot Thompson on a New York City street.
In a brief allocution, Mangione said he traveled to New York and posed as a potential investor managing more than $50 billion to obtain the location of an investors conference so he could find Thompson. “My travel to New York and email to UnitedHealthcare was with the intent to shoot Brian Thompson,” he told the judge. “On the morning of Dec. 4, 2024, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan and he died.”
Mangione acknowledged he understood his conduct would put Thompson in fear of death or serious bodily injury and that his actions were illegal. He also told the court he had suffered years of severe pain after a broken back and became convinced the health care and insurance systems had failed him — a grievance prosecutors say had no personal connection to UnitedHealthcare, which Mangione was never a customer of.
Family members of Thompson were in court for the plea. In a public statement, the family called the plea “an important step toward justice for Brian and for our family,” and urged the court to ensure sentencing “reflects the severity of this crime.” Friends and executives from UnitedHealthcare also attended.
Mangione pleaded guilty to two federal counts: interstate stalking resulting in death and stalking through the use of interstate facilities resulting in death. Both counts carry a maximum penalty of life in prison. Manhattan U.S. Attorney James McDonald said outside court there is no plea agreement; Mangione pleaded open, and prosecutors intend to seek the maximum penalty available.
Federal prosecutors indicated Mangione’s advisory sentencing range under guidelines would be roughly 24 to 30 years, but later clarified they would ask the court to impose life in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 18; the final term will be set at the judge’s discretion.
The federal plea is expected to trigger a double jeopardy dispute in state court, where Mangione still faces charges including second-degree murder and firearms offenses and could again face life in prison. Defense lawyers filed a motion in state court seeking dismissal of the state charges under New York double jeopardy protections. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said it has been preparing for a state trial and is ready to litigate the defense motions; a state trial was scheduled for Sept. 8 but could be delayed while litigation proceeds.
Mangione’s attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, reiterated that he had endured long-term pain and believed the system had failed him. She noted Mangione told the court he had not been treated for mental illness, was clear-headed during the plea, and had taken an antidepressant briefly as a sleep aid in recent days.
When questioned by U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett, Mangione confirmed he understood the rights he was waiving by pleading guilty, including the right to a jury trial, and acknowledged collateral consequences such as loss of the right to vote, possess firearms, and serve on a jury.
Investigators say Mangione was arrested on Dec. 9, 2024, at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania. Authorities recovered a backpack containing a notebook detailing grievances against the insurance industry; at the shooting scene they found a bullet and two shell casings marked with the words “delay,” “deny,” and “depose.” Defense attempts to exclude the notebook as the product of an illegal search were rejected by judges in both federal and state cases.
When the federal indictment was first filed, Mangione faced four counts, including a charge tied to use of a firearm in a murder that carried the possibility of the death penalty; judges earlier dismissed that firearm-related count and a second charge.
The killing of Thompson, a father of two who led the nation’s largest health insurer, drew national attention and renewed scrutiny of public frustration with insurance denials and the health care system. Authorities have said some of Mangione’s online followers later threatened Thompson’s family.
Mangione’s guilty plea moves the federal case toward sentencing and sets the stage for contentious litigation over whether the state prosecution can proceed.