The suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO has been charged in Manhattan federal court on four counts, including murder, stalking and firearms offenses.
The federal criminal complaint against Luigi Mangione was unsealed two days after state prosecutors announced an indictment against him in the murder of business executive Brian Thompson, who was gunned down on the streets of Manhattan.
The criminal complaint charges Mangione with stalking-travel in interstate commerce, stalking-use of interstate facilities, murder through use of a firearm and a firearms offense.
The complaint alleges that Mangione was caught with evidence directly tying him to Thompson’s murder.
“Mangione was later found to be in possession of a loaded 9mm pistol and silencer consistent with the weapon used to kill the Victim, clothing that matched apparel that the Shooter wore in the security camera videos, a notebook … several thousand dollars in cash … and a letter addressed ‘To the Feds’,” the complaint said.
It added: “The Notebook contained several handwritten pages that express hostility towards the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular.”
Earlier it emerged that Mangione will return to New York to face murder charges after agreeing to be extradited on Thursday during a court appearance in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested last week after five days on the run.
Mangione waived a preliminary hearing on the Pennsylvania charges in exchange for the prosecutor giving him a 20-page investigative report from the Altoona police department.
Mangione also waived extradition to New York.
The Blair county judge David Consiglio ordered that Mangione be turned over to the New York police department. At least a dozen uniformed NYPD officers were in the courtroom.
The 26-year-old Ivy League graduate is accused of ambushing and shooting Brian Thompson on 4 December outside a Manhattan hotel, where the head of the United States’ largest health insurer was walking to an investor conference.
Authorities have said Mangione was carrying the gun used to kill Thompson, a passport, fake IDs and about $10,000 when he was arrested on 9 December while eating breakfast at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
The brutal murder of Thompson has prompted an impassioned debate on the nature of healthcare in America, where for-profit companies dominate the sector. Amid shock at the public killing of the father of two, many Americans have also taken to social media to talk about their poor experiences at the hands of the industry.
The Associated Press contributed reporting
