Luigi Mangione's attorneys will meet with U.S. federal prosecutors
Lawyers for Luigi Mangione, who is accused of murdering United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York in 2024, will meet with U.S. federal prosecutors on Friday. U.S. media have reported that the parties may discuss a plea deal, according to BBC News World.
Mangione faces two federal charges of assault resulting in death. The maximum penalty for each charge is life in prison without the possibility of parole. Jamie McDonald, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, confirmed this week that a meeting is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on Friday, but did not specify which charges would be discussed.
According to federal prosecutors, Mangione traveled and used surveillance to kill Thompson. In January, a federal judge dismissed two additional charges, one of which carried the possibility of the death penalty. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to all charges in the federal case and a separate New York state case.
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Discussions about a potential plea deal do not mean it will be finalized: such agreements can fall through and require court approval. Mangione’s attorneys had previously argued that he should not be tried at both the federal and state levels, but judges in both proceedings allowed the trials to proceed.
If Mangione pleads guilty in the federal case, his defense team could invoke the prohibition against double jeopardy for the same crime in the state case. The New York State Constitution also contains such a prohibition. Former federal prosecutor Mitchell Epner told BBC News World that once the federal prosecution is concluded, the state cannot pursue a case based on the same facts. The state trial is scheduled for September 8, and the federal trial is set for January 2027.
