NEW YORK — Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty Friday to federal stalking charges stemming from the 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, admitting in court that he tracked the executive to an investor conference and shot him on a Manhattan street.
Mangione, 28, told Manhattan federal court that he traveled to New York after using a false identity to obtain information about the conference. He also acknowledged making a firearm with a 3D printer.
“On the morning of Dec. 4, 2024, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan, and he died,” Mangione said.
Thompson’s wife, Paulette, attended the hearing and wiped away tears as Mangione entered his plea.
Federal prosecutors plan to seek a life sentence when Mangione is sentenced Dec. 18. U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Garnett asked Mangione whether he understood that he could spend the rest of his life in prison. He answered, “Yes.”
Mangione still faces a separate murder case in New York state court. His attorneys moved Friday to dismiss that case, arguing that prosecuting him again would violate double jeopardy protections after his federal guilty plea.
Defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo said Mangione had accepted full responsibility for Thompson’s death and should not face two prosecutions stemming from the same incident.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office said it would oppose the defense’s request and continue pursuing the state case.
Mangione told the federal court that years of severe back pain and his experiences with the health insurance system influenced his actions. Authorities have said he was not a UnitedHealthcare customer.
Police arrested Mangione five days after the shooting at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Investigators found a 3D-printed pistol and a notebook in his backpack, which prosecutors say contained evidence of his plans to kill an insurance executive.
The federal murder charge against Mangione was dismissed earlier this year, while the judge allowed prosecutors to use the firearm and notebook as evidence.
In the state case, a judge also dismissed terrorism charges but allowed the same evidence to remain admissible.
New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch rejected attempts to portray Mangione as a symbol, saying violence and murder cannot serve as a cause or message.
