Luigi Mangione latest: Public donates $130,00 to defense as UnitedHealthcare suspect hires high profile lawyer
Kathleen Mangione told investigators that her son resembled the Brian Thompson shooting suspect a day before he was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania
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Luigi Mangione retained high-profile attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo to defend him after he was accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
And members of the public dug deep to help Mangione to cover her fees.
Friedman Agnifilo previously worked at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, serving as the chief assistant district attorney for seven years, before moving to private practice in 2021. Mangione, who faces a second-degree murder charge in New York as well as firearm charges in Pennsylvania, hired the former Manhattan prosecutor to represent him in New York.
The 26-year-old suspect has been held in a Pennsylvania jail since his arrest last Monday following a six-day manhunt.
Thomas Dickey, an attorney representing Mangione in Pennsylvania, has said that Mangione plans to contest his extradition to New York.
But Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg said Friday there are “indications” he may waive his right to fight extradition.
“Indications are that the defendant may waive, but that waiver is not complete until a court proceeding, which my understanding from court officials in Pennsylvania cannot happen until Tuesday,” Bragg said.
The revelation comes as Mangione’s supporters continue to donate thousands of dollars for his “defense” fund. The anonymous fund “December 4th Legal Committee” collected more than $130,000 in donation pledge on the crowdfunding website GiveSendGo by Monday afternoon.
Public donations for suspected CEO killer Luigi Mangione’s ‘defense fund’ surpass $130,000
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Luigi Mangione documentary already in the works from Spotlight producers
Who is Karen Friedman Agnifilo? Top New York attorney Luigi Mangione retained for legal defense
ICYMI: UnitedHealthcare says it didn’t insure Luigi Mangione
UnitedHealth Group, the parent company to UntiedHealthcare, said that Luigi Mangione was not a customer of the health insurance company.
There is no record that the 26-year-old shooting suspect was ever insured by the company, UnitedHealth Group told NBC News.
Police also confirmed that there is “no indication” that Mangione was registered with UnitedHealthcare, whose CEO was murdered on December 4 in Midtown Manhattan.
“We have no indication that he was ever a client of United Healthcare, but he does make mention that it is the fifth-largest corporation in America, which would make it the largest health care organization in America,” Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told NBC New York.
Suspect’s defense lawyer has interesting connection to Diddy
Karen Friedman Agnifilo, the top New York attorney tasked with representing Mangione is married to Marc Agnifilo who is heading Sean “Diddy” Combs’ criminal defense.
She was retained after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Mangione may stop resisting his extradition to New York, where he faces a murder charge. The suspect is currently being held in a Pennsylvania jail without bond after he was arrested at a McDonald’s on Monday.
Diddy has been accused of kidnapping, drugging and coercing women into sexual activities, sometimes through the use of firearms and threats of violence.
A Boston crowd cheered when a DJ put up a picture of Luigi Mangione
A group of partygoers in Boston reportedly cheered when a DJ put a photo of Luigi Mangione on a big screen.
See the footage below.
WATCH: Will the Healthcare Industry Change After Death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson?
Polymarket starts taking bets on Luigi Mangione’s future
Betting platform Polymarket started taking bets on Luigi Mangione’s future after the 26-year-old was charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The bets started appearing on the website on Monday shortly after Mangione was arrested in a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on gun charges, according to Forbes.
The betting platform surged in popularity during the 2024 presidential election, when gamblers spent more than $3.3 billion guessing the results.
So far, users have wagered thousands of dollars worth of cryptocurrencies speculating over Mangione’s alleged motive and outcome of the case.
A bet with one of the highest trading volumes, $125,000, is on whether Mangione was “motivated by denied [health insurance] claims.” Polymarket’s betting odds give it a 24 percent chance of being true.
Rhian Lubin has the full story.
Polymarket starts taking bets on Luigi Mangione’s future
The bets started appearing on the website shortly after Mangione was arrested in a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania
Watch: McDonald’s tightens security at Pennsylvania restaurant where Mangione was arrested
Brian Thompson was concerned about UnitedHealthcare’s image
According to a new report in The Washington Post, Thompson thought the company had a public relations problem.
He didn’t believe Americans understood the company’s role in the healthcare industry, including steps it had taken to eliminate out-of-pocket costs for lifesaving drugs, the outlet reported. He made the remarks as UnitedHealthcare and its parent company, UnitedHealth Group, faced a congressional probe and consumer anger after it was accused of denying care to the ill and elderly in a bid to up profits.
“He understood that the public was frustrated with what they perceived the company’s actions to be,” according to one of the people who spoke with Thompson. “He was actively articulating a vision that helped better educate and help people better understand what the company is doing.”
ICYMI: McDonald’s customer reflects on moment he spotted Luigi Mangione in fast food joint
‘ONE LESS CEO’ road sign spotted on busy highway
A disturbing sign was spotted on Highway 99 near Dexter Avenue North in Seattle, Washington, on Thursday.
The sign, which was captured by a KOMO News photographer, flashed between “one less CEO” and “many more to go,” in an apparent jibe at Brian Thompson, the slain UnitedHealthcare chief executive.
It does not belong to a government entity such as the Seattle Department of Transportation, the outlet says.
Michael Moore says he wants to pour ‘gasoline’ on anger at health insurance companies after CEO shooting
Social critic and documentary filmmaker Michael Moore said in a Substack post that he wants to “pour gasoline” on the anger Americans have expressed against the nation’s health insurance industry.
Moore wrote Friday that fury directed at the US health insurance industry was “1000 percent justified.” Following the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan last week, some Americans have taken to social media and other outlets to express their frustration with the state of private health insurance in the nation.
Read more from Graig Graziosi:
Michael Moore wants to pour ‘gasoline’ on anger at health insurance companies
Moore said he does not condone murder, but emphasized that doesn’t negate the serious issues with American health insurance