Luigi Mangione, who was arrested in connection with the killing of a health insurance executive in Manhattan in 2024, is expected to plead guilty to unspecified federal charges on Friday, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.
Mr. Mangione, 28, is charged with stalking that resulted in the death of Brian Thompson, the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare. These charges could result in a life sentence, but the specifics of the potential plea deal are unclear. Mr. Mangione could reverse his decision at the last minute, even in the courtroom.
The hearing comes less than a month before Mr. Mangione is scheduled for a separate New York State trial, where he faces a murder charge in the killing. A federal plea could complicate whether Mr. Mangione still faces the state trial; his lawyers would be expected to argue that the state case should be dismissed because of double jeopardy, which bars someone from being tried twice for the same offense, with some exceptions.
Here’s what we know about Mr. Mangione’s legal cases, and how his lawyers are handling them.
What charges is Mr. Mangione facing?
In his federal case, Mr. Mangione faces two stalking charges resulting in death, which carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. That trial would begin in January.
In state court, Mr. Mangione is charged with several counts, including second-degree murder, which could lead to a possible sentence of 25 years to life. That trial is scheduled to start next month.
Why are there two cases, and is that unusual?
It is uncommon, but legally permissible, for someone to face state and federal charges stemming from the same alleged crime.
The federal charges were brought during the Biden administration, when the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York said the state prosecution would happen first. But shortly after, President Trump returned to office and his attorney general said she would seek the death penalty for Mr. Mangione, signaling that her prosecutors were moving quickly to trial. (A judge later dismissed two federal charges, including one that carried a potential death penalty if Mr. Mangione was convicted.)
The judges overseeing the cases have each said that they are proceeding as if the case in their court were the only one.
What about double jeopardy?
From the moment Mr. Mangione was charged by state and federal prosecutors, his legal team had argued that being tried in both jurisdictions violated his rights.
“One plus one is two,” Mr. Mangione declared in February as he was led out of a Manhattan courtroom in handcuffs. “Double jeopardy by any common-sense definition.”
Legal experts, though, say that double jeopardy protections are not always clear-cut.
If he does plead guilty in federal court, his lawyers are expected to argue that under New York’s double jeopardy law, state prosecutors cannot try him for murder because the state charges stem from the same criminal act as the federal case.
However, the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, could counter that the state murder case addresses a different harm than the federal stalking case, and that it should therefore be allowed to proceed to trial.
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