Luigi Mangione, who is accused of shooting and killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week, is unlikely to face federal charges, but he is not without problems, with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg saying, “It's natural to be concerned that he might get it wrong,” former prosecutors told FOX News Digital.
Mangione was arrested by police in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday morning after a five-day manhunt after a McDonald's patron recognized his face from a wanted poster.
On Tuesday, Mangione refused to waive his right to an extradition hearing in Pennsylvania state court, and his lawyers said they intended to file a writ of habeas corpus to challenge Mangione's arrest. Bragg and Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks are working to bring the 26-year-old Ivy League graduate to New York.
James Trusty, a Maryland prosecutor for 27 years, told Fox News Digital that based on the details of the case that have been made public, there is “no clear path to prosecuting a federal murder case.”
United Healthcare CEO murder suspect riots outside Pennsylvania courthouse
CEO murder suspect Luigi Mangione screams while being restrained by police as he arrives for his extradition hearing in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, on December 10, 2024. (David Dee Delgado, Fox News Digital)
However, Trusty said evidence of potential federal charges could be found on Mangione's laptop, which was seized during his arrest.
Mr. Trusty said that while federal authorities can file murder charges, “there are cases where federal authorities may be able to bring charges against you.” [the murder] “It's associated with things like organized crime, drug trafficking and hate crimes, and it has a narrower definition than just 'I hate insurance companies,'” Trusty said.
Altoona Police Department officers wrote in a criminal complaint obtained by Fox News Digital that they found a “3D printed black pistol and black silencer.” John Ryan, former head of the Joint Terrorism Task Force and chief security officer for the Port Authority, said such “ghost guns” (homemade weapons that are untraceable because they are not serialized) Possession is a federal crime, he told Fox News Digital.
United Healthcare CEO murder suspect Luigi Mangione accused of back surgery before murder
This photo shows SCI Huntingdon State Correctional Facility on December 10, 2024 in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. Luigi Mangione is being held in a detention center. (David Dee Delgado, Fox News Digital)
However, the sentencing for such a charge would be much shorter than a state-level murder charge, perhaps as little as a year in prison, Trusty said.
“If something like Ghost Gun becomes an independent federal lawsuit, we can do it as a 'safety net' and say, 'We're going to get something out of this.'” [prosecution]” Trustee said.
FOX News contributor Andrew McCarthy wrote in an article Monday. national review Article about Mr. Bragg's concerns about prosecuting Mr. Mangione's case.
United Healthcare CEO Luigi Mangione's first meal in prison revealed
Luigi Mangione (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
“Alvin Bragg, a model progressive prosecutor who views the streets of New York as if straight out of Howard Zinn's revisionist American history textbook, is a radical who took 'direct action' against his capitalist oppressors. Can we trust them to prosecute the left?” ” McCarthy wrote.
“This is not surprising,” McCarthy, a former prosecutor, wrote. [him] The case for President-elect Donald Trump’s Justice Department nominees and the State Department.”[take] To take the case out of Bragg's hands, take a hard look at travel law, an old standby for organized crime prosecutors.
He could face the death penalty if convicted of the federal charges. The death penalty was outlawed in New York in 2004.
United Healthcare CEO murder suspect Luigi Mangione is photographed at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania on December 9, 2024. (Pennsylvania State Police)
But Mr Trusty said this outcome was “highly unlikely”. Even if Mr. Mangione did not act alone, the Travel Act would require proof that he was “a member of an organization committing a crime.”
“Think of the Mafia, MS-13, Torren de Aragua,” Trusty said. “Even a person actively involved in a conspiracy cannot influence the federal government.”
Mr. Trusty said Mr. Mangione could have been charged with murder by federal authorities if Mr. Thompson had been killed on federal land, but that is not the case.
Mr Trusty said it was “natural” for Mr McCarthy to be concerned about Mr Bragg's potential handling of the Mangione case.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“I think Mr. Bragg has shown a tendency to lean toward political prosecution decisions,” he said. “His indictment of Daniel Penney 11 days after the incident shows that he listened to political voices and conducted a thorough investigation to determine what the facts were and what was a just outcome. It was a bad sign that it wasn't.”
“Additionally, his and President Trump’s unprincipled prosecution; [State Department walked away from a Michael Cohen-led case] “That's another bad sign,” she said. “It's legitimate to be concerned that he will mishandle this case, perhaps by interfering with politics in the decision-making process rather than professional prosecutors.” Ta.
