Mangione pleads guilty to federal charges in UnitedHealthcare CEO killing

Luigi Mangione, 28, has pleaded guilty to federal charges of interstate stalking resulting in death and stalking through the use of interstate facilities resulting in death. The plea was entered in a Manhattan federal court on Friday, marking a significant development in the case surrounding the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

The federal charges are distinct from the state-level charges Mangione faces, which include second-degree murder and firearm offences. Mangione had previously pleaded not guilty to those state charges and has not updated that plea. A trial for the state-level charges is scheduled to begin next month.

During the hearing, Mangione recounted the steps he took to target Thompson. He stated that he researched UnitedHealthcare’s annual investor conference and emailed the company while posing as an investor to gather details. He used this information to identify Thompson, who was fatally shot on a New York City street in December 2024.

“I shot Mr Thompson in Manhattan,” Mangione told the judge, adding that he knew the act was illegal. Thompson, a 50-year-old father of two, oversaw the nation’s largest healthcare insurer at the time of his death.

The incident triggered a five-day manhunt that concluded with Mangione’s arrest at a McDonald’s restaurant in Pennsylvania. The federal plea does not resolve the state charges, which remain pending as the legal process moves forward.