Luigi Mangione Expected to Plead Guilty in Stalking Case

Luigi Mangione, charged with the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024, is anticipated to plead guilty to stalking charges in federal court, according to sources.

The 28-year-old is slated to appear Friday before U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett at the Southern District of New York in Lower Manhattan.

On Thursday morning, Mangione met with his attorneys at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center in preparation for the hearing, reports indicate.

It remains unclear whether Mangione will plead guilty to one or both of the stalking-related charges, which include causing death while traveling in interstate commerce and using interstate facilities to cause death, such as telephones or the Internet. Moreover, a judicial decision can be changed at any point, even during the court proceedings.

A source close to the matter suggested that a plea deal might be in progress, but nothing is guaranteed until Mangione presents his case.

If found guilty, he could face life imprisonment.

Earlier in January, Judge Garnett dismissed a charge concerning the discharge of a silenced firearm during a violent crime, and another for using a firearm to commit murder, thus removing the possibility of a death penalty at the federal level.

This potential change in plea comes just a month before Mangione’s New York state murder trial related to the death of a 50-year-old father of two.

At the state level, he faces nine charges, which include:

• One count of second-degree murder.
• Two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
• Four counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
• One count of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
• One count of second-degree criminal possession of a counterfeit instrument.

Mangione has pleaded not guilty to the state charges, and the judge has ordered jurors to remain anonymous due to concerns about possible harassment and external interference.

The New York trial is set to begin jury selection on September 8, 2026.