Luigi Mangione expected to plead guilty in New York federal case

Luigi Mangione is expected to plead guilty on Friday to federal charges in connection with the 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The expected plea change comes less than a month before Mangione, 28, is scheduled to go to trial in a state murder case in connection with the death of Thompson.

Lawyers for Mangione declined to comment. The Justice Department and a court spokesperson also declined to comment.

It is unclear if Mangione will plead guilty to one or both of the two stalking-related charges in his federal case. While details of Mangione’s plea are not immediately clear, he could reverse his decision at any time, even during the hearing.

Sources familiar with the matter stressed that plea negotiations are ongoing and that nothing is final until Mangione himself accepts or enters into a plea deal.

NBC New York reported on Tuesday the possibility of a plea deal and, in June, that defense lawyers had talks with federal prosecutors about a possible plea deal before a scheduled hearing, and that an agreement had at least once appeared close.

Legal experts say plea talks are common before most trials. NBC News legal analyst Danny Cevallos said that if a plea deal is reached in the federal case, New York law may bar a subsequent state prosecution for the same conduct.

The Justice Department initially sought the death penalty for Mangione in his federal case, which U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett blocked in January.

If Mangione pleads guilty to the federal charges, his lawyers are expected to seek dismissal of some or all of the charges in his state case. Jury selections in that case are set to begin next month.

In his state case, Mangione pleaded not guilty to nine felony charges, including second-degree murder and several counts related to criminal possession of a weapon. If he is convicted in the New York case, he faces the possibility of life in prison.

Add NBC News to Google New York court prepares for high-profile Mangione trial 00:57 Lawyers for Mangione have been arguing since the beginning of both cases that their client is a victim of double jeopardy.

Mangione is accused of fatally shooting Thompson outside of the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan in December 2024, hours before UnitedHealthcare was set to host an investor conference at the hotel.

A days-long, multi-state manhunt for the masked man seen in surveillance footage gunning down Thompson on the street captivated the world.

It concluded with Mangione’s arrest at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Upon his arrest, authorities confiscated a notebook prosecutors say belonged to Mangione and contained plans to kill Thompson.