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Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty Friday to two federal stalking charges tied to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. During the Aug. 14 hearing, Mangione admitted shooting Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel in December 2024.
The Luigi Mangione guilty plea resolves the federal prosecution but leaves major legal questions unanswered. Mangione still faces a separate New York state murder case.
Luigi Mangione Guilty Plea Includes Admission
Mangione, 28, entered the guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Garnett in Manhattan federal court. He admitted following Thompson and gathering information about a UnitedHealth Group investor conference.
Mangione told the court that he contacted UnitedHealthcare while pretending to represent a large investment firm. He said he used the request to confirm details about the conference.
Mangione then acknowledged shooting Thompson in Manhattan on Dec. 4, 2024. He also admitted knowing that his actions were illegal.
Thompson, 50, was walking toward UnitedHealth Group’s annual investor conference when he was shot outside the New York Hilton Midtown.
Federal Charges Carry Possible Life Sentence
Mangione pleaded guilty to interstate stalking resulting in death and stalking through interstate facilities resulting in death. Each charge carries a possible life sentence.
Judge Garnett scheduled his sentencing for Dec. 18. Mangione confirmed that he understood he could spend the rest of his life in prison.
The federal case originally included murder and firearm charges. Those charges could have allowed prosecutors to seek the death penalty.
However, Garnett dismissed them in January 2026. She ruled that the stalking offenses did not meet the required federal definition of a crime of violence. Federal prosecutors later declined to appeal that decision.
The two remaining stalking charges still allowed a potential sentence of life in prison.
State Murder Case Faces New Challenge
Mangione also faces second-degree murder and other charges in New York state court. His state trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 8.
His attorneys are expected to argue that New York’s double jeopardy protections block the state prosecution. Those protections can apply when a related federal case ends with a guilty plea.
However, the federal and state cases involve different criminal charges. State prosecutors have opposed any effort to dismiss their case.
A state judge previously dismissed murder-as-terrorism charges against Mangione. The judge allowed the second-degree murder charge and several related counts to remain.
The federal plea does not automatically end the state prosecution. A state court must determine whether the two cases legally cover the same criminal conduct.
Shooting Led to Nationwide Manhunt
Authorities arrested Mangione on Dec. 9, 2024, at a McDonald’s restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The arrest came five days after Thompson’s killing.
Police said Mangione carried a fake identification card and a 3D-printed pistol. Prosecutors said the weapon matched the gun used in the shooting.
Investigators also recovered a notebook that described plans targeting a health insurance executive. Judges in both cases have allowed prosecutors to use significant evidence recovered during the arrest.
Mangione’s guilty plea marks a major development in a case that drew national attention. The next decisions will determine his federal sentence and whether New York may continue its murder prosecution.
