Luigi Mangione is expected to plead guilty Friday to federal charges stemming from the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, sources told The Post, in a high-stakes gamble for a sentence shorter than life behind bars.
Mangione, 28, is scheduled to appear Friday morning before U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett in Manhattan federal court.
Federal prosecutors charged Mangione with two counts of stalking resulting in death over the December 2024 shooting of Thompson on a Manhattan sidewalk.
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A guilty plea would not guarantee Mangione leniency. He could still receive a life sentence, but sources familiar with the matter said his legal team would hope Garnett imposes a lesser punishment.
The plans also remain fluid. Sources cautioned that Mangione could reverse course at any point before or during Friday’s hearing.
The expected plea could create major complications for the separate murder case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office, where Mangione is scheduled to stand trial beginning Sept. 8.
New York’s double-jeopardy rules restrict successive prosecutions for the same underlying conduct in certain circumstances. A federal conviction could therefore give Mangione’s lawyers grounds to challenge some or all of the state case, though the precise effect would depend on the charges, the plea’s terms and subsequent court rulings.
Sources say Mangione is expected to plead guilty Friday in federal court — a significant development in one of the most closely watched criminal cases in the country.
A guilty plea could still expose him to life in prison — the federal charges carry the most severe sentencing outcomes regardless of how the case is resolved.
Mangione may change his decision before or during the hearing — sources caution nothing is final until he enters the plea on the record.
The plea could complicate New York’s separate September prosecution — two parallel cases now potentially on a collision course.
The Manhattan DA’s office has asserted “primary jurisdiction,” arguing that state prosecutors charged Mangione with Thompson’s murder before federal authorities filed their case. Prosecutors could still attempt to move forward if they object to the federal plea agreement or believe the remaining state charges can survive a double-jeopardy challenge.
Mangione has become a deeply polarizing figure since Thompson was killed, attracting a disturbing fan following while facing parallel federal and state prosecutions.
Friday’s hearing could now determine far more than whether Mangione admits guilt. It could shape his eventual punishment and threaten to upend the state trial scheduled to begin in less than a month.
This story is developing…
BREAKING: Luigi Mangione is expected to plead guilty under a federal deal, with his lawyers and prosecutors requesting a last-minute conference for tomorrow at 11 a.m.
Mangione faces two federal interstate stalking charges resulting in Brian Thompson’s death, which carry a… pic.twitter.com/RhXZkKC46D
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