Examining Luigi Mangione's Several Cases

By Ethan Harris ‘27

Luigi Mangione pleaded “not guilty” at his arraignment for New York state charges. He is being charged with the alleged murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan on December 4, 2024. Mangione currently faces three separate cases against him: One from the People of the State of New York, one from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and one from the United States of America.

The case that will proceed first is the New York state charges against Mangione. This is decided on several factors, such as the severity of charges, manpower, and which cases were filed first. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is charging Mangione with eight counts of weapon possession, one count of murder in the first degree, and two counts of murder in the second degree, one of which includes a terrorism charge. The terrorism charge is catching most people’s attention, and it may be the reason this case is proceeding before the others. New York Penal Law 490.25 was added less than a week after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 in 2001. It states, “A person is guilty of a Crime of Terrorism when, with intent to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, influence the policy of a unit of government by intimidation… he or she commits a specified offense.” Luigi Mangione was allegedly arrested with a handwritten “manifesto” bashing the healthcare system of the United States. We can expect New York state prosecutors to attempt to convince a jury that Mangione murdered Brian Thomspon to change that system, which would then apply to the terrorism charge. That may be difficult, however, as Brian Thomspon was a corporate executive, not a government official. 

The United States has also filed federal charges against Mangione. He can be charged by the state and federal governments for the same crime, as both jurisdictions have different penal codes. These make them separate crimes for the same act. A criminal complaint from the Southern District of New York sets out his different counts. One count of stalking in interstate commerce, one count of stalking while using interstate facilities, one count of murder through the use of a firearm, and one count of firearms offense. The maximum penalty for murder through the use of a firearm would be the death penalty, however, prosecutors have not stated whether they will try for the death penalty. 

Lastly, Mangione is being charged by the state of Pennsylvania. He is being charged with five counts, including forgery, falsely identifying to a police officer, and unlawful possession of a firearm. Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks stated he will keep the case active until the New York and United States charges are fully adjudicated. 

Mangione is represented by high-profile defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilio. She is a legend amongst the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, as she was second-in-command for seven years. Since leaving in 2021, she has moved to private practice. She also has served as a consultant for CNN, the show “Law and Order”, and also has hosted two podcasts. Her husband, Marc Agnifilio, is currently representing Sean Combs in his racketeering and sex trafficking case. Both Mangione and Combs are currently being held in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, NY.

The next steps for Mangione depend on the case. For the case filed by New York, evidence discovery and pre-trial motions will be the primary focus of each side. Mangione’s next appearance in court for the New York state charges is scheduled for February 21, 2025. 

When it comes to the case of Pennsylvania, that will likely take a backseat for a very long time. Both the prosecutors and Mangione likely don’t want the hassle of working a case while terrorism charges and a possible death penalty case linger in New York.

For the federal charges, work still needs to be done by the prosecution to proceed. The Southern District of New York has only filed a criminal complaint. Federal prosecutors and federal agents convinced a judge there was probable cause to arrest Mangione, but they now must have probable cause to charge him as well. A criminal complaint serves as a placeholder, and the federal prosecutors still have to convince a grand jury that there is probable cause. Prosecutors have until mid-January to convince a group of random citizens that there is probable cause to charge Mangione. This is unlikely to fail, however, as Mangione has already been found to have probable cause to commit the state charges, which are similar to the federal charges. If charged, Mangione’s next court appearance for his federal case will be January 18th, 2025. These cases will surely stay in the spotlight throughout Mangione’s entire legal experience, and the questions of terrorism and a possible death penalty will hopefully be answered sooner rather than later.

Ethan Harris is a sophomore majoring in Political Science and Criminal Justice.

Sources

Ali, I. (2024, December 17). D.A. Bragg announces murder indictment of Luigi Mangione. Manhattan District Attorney’s _______Office. https://manhattanda.org/d-a-bragg-announces-murder-indictment-of-luigi-mangione/ 

Biase, N. (2024, December 19). Luigi Mangione charged with the stalking and murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian _______Thompson and use of a silencer in a crime of violence. Southern District of New York | Luigi Mangione Charged _______With The Stalking And Murder Of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson And Use Of A Silencer In A Crime Of _______Violence | United States Department of Justice. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/luigi-mangione-charged-_______stalking-and-murder-unitedhealthcare-ceo-brian-thompson-and-use 

Fed. R. Crim. p. 4 - arrest warrant or summons on a complaint. Justia. (2024, October 16). _______https://www.justia.com/criminal/docs/frcrimp/rule4/ 

Italiano, L. (2024, December 14). Luigi Mangione’s NY prosecutor is Joel Seidemann, a Manhattan da veteran described as a _______“firecracker” in court. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-luigi-mangiones-prosecutor-_______veteran-lawman-joel-seidemann-2024-12 

Levenson, E. (2024, December 28). The husband-wife legal team working on two of today’s biggest criminal cases. CNN. _______https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/28/us/karen-friedman-agnifilo-marc-attorneys/index.html 

Press, A., & Sisak, M. R. (2024, December 24). Inside the state and federal charges against Luigi Mangione. WHYY. _______https://whyy.org/articles/luigi-mangione-state-federal-charges-pennsylvania-new-york/