Accused CEO killer Luigi Mangione has a legion of supporters — and at least one managed to sneak two heart-shaped notes inside a fresh pair of argyle socks that the 26-year-old considered wearing during his latest New York court appearance, state prosecutors say.
The prosecutors from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office outlined details of the socks smuggling scandal in a Wednesday court filing.
One of the notes was addressed to a person named “Joan,” while the other was written to Mangione and read in part, “know there are thousands of people wishing you luck,” prosecutors said.
The notes were “secreted” in the cardboard that the new pair of argyle socks were wrapped around, the filing says.
Mangione’s defense attorneys said in a response that contained photos of the two notes that their client “inadvertently did not see that there were two heart-shaped notes contained within the socks.”
“Luigi, We are all rooting for you! Keep your head held high & know there are thousands of people wishing you luck,” one of the notes said.
The signature reads “r/FreeLuigi.” r/FreeLuigi refers to a Reddit community that supports Mangione. It’s unclear if the online community is responsible for the note.
Prosecutors said that ahead of Manigone’s February 21 appearance in Manhattan Criminal Court, a court officer assisting in his transport from a federal jail in Brooklyn was given a bag of clothing for Manigone by members of his defense team.
An investigator searched the clothing before it was handed over to Mangione and discovered the hidden notes, the court filing says.
Despite the discovery of the notes, prosecutors say Mangione was allowed to wear the argyle socks, but he was too fashion-conscious to actually sport them in the courtroom.
Prosecutors said Mangione put the socks on and then changed out of them because he felt “they did not look good.”
“Fortunately, the items smuggled were handwritten notes and not contraband capable of harming the transporting officers,” prosecutors wrote in the court filing.
A spokesperson for Mangione’s defense team declined to comment to Business Insider.
It’s unclear from Wednesday’s filing who the notes were from, who hid them inside the socks, and whether any member of the defense team was aware the notes were there.
Prosecutors said the socks incident is one reason Mangione can’t have a laptop in jail before a strict evidence protective order is in place.
Mangione’s defense attorneys said in their response that the incident was “obviously inadvertent as one of the two heart-shaped notes was not even addressed to Mr. Mangione.”
“The District Attorney’s Office ostensibly realized the innocent nature of this event, and that it was not a genuine danger or concern, as they did not bother to alert the Court at the time,” the attorneys wrote.
Mangione is awaiting trial on parallel state and federal indictments in the December shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
March 26, 2025 — This story has been updated to include additional details and a photo from a new filing.
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