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one man lie that one is FBI agent told official in a new The federal prison in York received a court order Wednesday to release him. Luigi Mangioneauthorities said.
Mark Anderson, 36, of Mankato, Minnesota, was arrested at the Metropolitan Detention Center and charged with impersonating an FBI agent in an attempt to free Mangione. brooklyn. Mangione awaits state and federal murder trials in slaying of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The criminal complaint against Anderson did not name the inmate, but a law enforcement official identified him as Mangione. The official spoke on condition of anonymity.
Anderson is expected to appear in Brooklyn federal court on Thursday. Court records did not list an attorney for him, and a message was left with Mangione’s legal team seeking comment.
According to the criminal complaint, Anderson came to the jail’s holding area around 6:50 p.m. Wednesday and told uniformed jail officials that he was an FBI agent and had a document “signed by a judge” authorizing the release of specific detainees at the jail.
When officers asked for his federal identification, Anderson showed officers his Minnesota driver’s license, threw numerous documents at them and claimed to have a weapon, the criminal complaint said. Officers searched Anderson’s bag and found a barbecue fork and a round steel blade described as resembling a small pizza cutter wheel, the complaint states.
Law enforcement officials said Anderson traveled to New York from Mankato, about 67 miles (107 kilometers) southwest of Minneapolis, where he was working at a pizza shop after another job opportunity fell through.
The attempt to free Mangione comes at a critical time in his legal case.
Hours before Anderson was arrested, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office sent a letter to Mangione State Judge Gregory Carro setting a trial date for July 1.
Mangione is scheduled to appear in court on Friday for a conference in the federal case. The judge in the case, Margaret Garnett, is expected to rule soon on whether prosecutors can seek the death penalty and whether certain evidence can be used against him.
Last week, Garnett scheduled jury selection in the federal case for Sept. 8, with the remaining trials set to take place in October or January, depending on whether she allows prosecutors to seek the death penalty.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty in both cases. State charges could result in life in prison.
Mangione has drawn attention to people dissatisfied with the health insurance industry, attracting a large number of supporters, some of whom frequently appear in his courtrooms. Some wore green, the color worn by the Mario Bros. video game character Luigi, as a symbol of unity, while others brought signs and shirts with slogans such as “Free Luigi” and “Luigi Mangione Never Dies.”
Thompson, 50, was killed on Dec. 4, 2024, as he headed to UnitedHealth Group’s annual investor meeting at a downtown Manhattan hotel. Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting him from behind. Police said the ammunition had “delay,” “deny” and “destroy” written on it, mimicking phrases used to describe how insurance companies avoid paying claims.
Mangione, a 27-year-old Ivy League graduate from a wealthy Maryland family, was arrested five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles west of Manhattan.
After days of court proceedings in Pennsylvania, Mangione was rushed to New York and sent to the Metropolitan Detention Center.
The prison is also home to former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Celia Flores, who face drug trafficking charges. Its former inmates include hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs and cryptocurrency fraudster Sam Bankman-Freed.