NEW YORK — Luigi Mangione is expected to plead guilty in federal court on Friday to charges stemming from the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare Chief Executive Brian Thompson, according to a person familiar with the matter and multiple media reports, potentially reshaping a separate New York state murder case against him.
Mangione, 28, is scheduled to appear in Manhattan federal court at a hearing requested jointly by prosecutors and his defense lawyers earlier this week. The person familiar with the matter said Mangione could still change his mind before or during the hearing. The Justice Department and Mangione's lawyers had not publicly confirmed the expected plea before the hearing.
Mangione is charged federally with two counts of stalking resulting in death, offenses that carry a potential sentence of life in prison. Earlier federal murder and firearms-related charges were dismissed, removing the possibility of a federal death sentence in the case.
Federal prosecutors initially accused Mangione of stalking and killing Thompson, 50, who was shot outside a Manhattan hotel on Dec. 4, 2024, as he headed to UnitedHealth Group's annual investor conference. Mangione was arrested five days later in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He has pleaded not guilty to the federal allegations.
The anticipated federal plea comes less than a month before Mangione is due to face a separate state prosecution in Manhattan. He is charged in New York state court with murder and weapons offenses, and jury selection is scheduled to begin on Sept. 8. He has also pleaded not guilty in that case.
A federal guilty plea could complicate the state prosecution because New York law provides broader protections against successive prosecutions for the same conduct. Mangione's lawyers have argued that a federal resolution could prevent the state case from proceeding, while Manhattan prosecutors have indicated they would contest such an outcome.
Federal plea discussions have been reported for months. Defense lawyers and federal prosecutors discussed a possible agreement in June, but those negotiations previously broke down, according to people familiar with the talks cited by ABC News.
The federal hearing scheduled for Friday is the next confirmed proceeding in the case. The precise terms of any plea and its effect on the state prosecution were not publicly established before Mangione's appearance.
