Luigi Mangione pleads guilty to federal stalking charges in striking reversal

• Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty to stalking charges in federal court in a striking reversal.
• In the hearing, Mangione described tracking down and shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
• A judge will sentence him on December 18. The federal charges carry a possibility of life in prison.

Mangione wore a standard jail-issue khaki uniform at the hearing. One member of Thompson’s family could be heard whispering “piece of shit” as Mangione walked in while surrounded by federal marshals.

While speaking in court, Mangione took several swipes at UnitedHealthcare in his Friday statement as he described finding out the location of the company’s annual investor conference in Manhattan, 3D printing gun parts, and traveling to New York City from outside the state.

“I observed the annual conference of America’s largest healthcare organization, with the stated mission to make the healthcare system work better for everyone, would be attended by executives, the board of directors, and countless investors — not doctors, nurses, and patients,” he said.

Mangione said that, while tracking down Thompson, he emailed UnitedHealthcare “posing as an investor at a firm managing over $15 billion in assets.”

“Unlike my previous interactions with insurers, I received an immediate response,” Mangione said.

Friedman-Agnifilo, wearing an eggplant purple suit, hammered the point home while speaking to journalists following Friday’s hearing.

“As Luigi explained in court today, he endured years of severe, debilitating pain with a broken back while struggling to navigate a healthcare and health insurance system,” she said. “Like the thousands of people who reached out to share their own experiences, he believed the system had failed him and destroyed his life.”

In a statement Friday, UnitedHealthcare thanked law enforcement officials who prosecuted Mangione.

“Brian Thompson’s life was cut short by an act of violence that devastated everyone who knew and loved him,” the company said. “We are grateful to law enforcement for bringing Brian’s murderer to justice, and our thoughts remain with Brian’s family and loved ones during this difficult time.”

Manhattan US Attorney Jamie McDonald, whose office oversaw the federal prosecution, said in a statement that, “No grievance, political belief, or ideological cause can justify murder.” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch praised the “painstaking, old-fashioned police work” that led to Mangione’s arrest and built the case against him.

“To those who idolize Mangione — violence is not a cause, murder is not a message, and a killer is not a hero,” she said.