Daijiworld Media Network – New York

New York, Aug 14: Luigi Mangione, the man accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City in December 2024, is expected to plead guilty to federal stalking charges in Manhattan federal court on Friday, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Mangione, 28, is scheduled to appear for a pretrial conference at 11 am. The exact terms of a potential plea agreement remain unclear, with negotiations reportedly continuing. Any deal would only become final if Mangione accepts it during the court proceedings.

Mangione faces two federal charges — interstate stalking resulting in death and stalking through the use of interstate facilities resulting in death. The charges carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and are separate from the state case, in which he faces allegations including second-degree murder and firearms offences.

Mangione has pleaded not guilty in both federal and state cases. His state trial is expected to begin early next month.

Thompson, a father of two and head of the United States' largest health insurer, was fatally shot outside a Manhattan hotel on December 4, 2024, where an investors' conference was being held.

Mangione was arrested five days later at a McDonald's outlet in Pennsylvania.

Authorities said a notebook recovered from his backpack contained grievances apparently directed at the health insurance industry. Investigators also found a bullet and two shell casings at the crime scene bearing the words “delay”, “deny” and “depose”.

Mangione's lawyers had sought to prevent prosecutors from using the notebook as evidence, arguing that it had been obtained through an unlawful search. Judges in both the federal and state cases rejected the argument.

The federal case previously included a firearms charge carrying a possible death penalty, but a judge dismissed that charge earlier this year.