The 28-year-old entered the plea before U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett in Manhattan federal court. He faced two counts: interstate stalking resulting in death and stalking through the use of interstate facilities resulting in death. Both carry a maximum penalty of life in prison.
There was no plea agreement. Prosecutors said Mangione pleaded “open,” meaning he admitted guilt to the pending counts without any concessions, leaving them free to seek the maximum sentence. U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jamie McDonald said the office intends to recommend life imprisonment.
In a brief allocution, Mangione stated: “My travel to New York and email to UnitedHealthcare was with the intent to shoot Brian Thompson. On the morning of Dec. 4, 2024, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan and he died.” He added that he understood his actions would place Thompson in fear of death or serious bodily injury and that he “knew what I was doing was illegal.”
Court records and statements describe how Mangione researched the UnitedHealthcare investor conference online, posed as a potential investor managing more than $50 billion in assets, and emailed the company to confirm Thompson’s location. He received a response within an hour. Prosecutors said he used a 3-D-printed firearm equipped with a silencer.
Thompson, 50, a father of two, was shot from behind outside a Hilton hotel on West 54th Street in Midtown Manhattan just before daybreak on Dec. 4, 2024, as he arrived for the conference. The gunman fled on a Citi Bike. Mangione was arrested five days later at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania. Investigators recovered a notebook outlining grievances against the health insurance industry and spent shell casings marked “delay,” “deny” and “depose.”
Defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo said Mangione had endured years of severe, debilitating pain after a broken back and struggled to navigate the health care and insurance systems. He believed the system had failed him, she told the court.
Thompson’s family attended the hearing and later issued a statement calling the plea “an important step toward justice for Brian and for our family.” They said they look to the court to ensure the sentence reflects the severity of the crime. Family members were visibly emotional as Mangione spoke.
Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 18, 2026. Federal guidelines suggested a range of roughly 24 to 30 years, but the judge has wide discretion and prosecutors have signaled they will push for life.
Mangione still faces state charges in New York Supreme Court, including second-degree murder. His lawyers filed a motion Friday seeking to dismiss most of those counts on double-jeopardy grounds, arguing the federal case addresses the same conduct. The Manhattan district attorney’s office said it remains prepared to litigate the motion and is committed to seeking justice for Thompson and his family. A state trial had been set to begin Sept. 8.
Outside the courthouse, a smaller crowd gathered than at earlier hearings. Some supporters expressed relief; officials stressed that the case demonstrated there can be “no celebrity in assassination.”
Mangione remains in federal custody.
