Who is Luigi Nicholas Mangione?

Luigi Nicholas Mangione is an American citizen who was identified as a person of interest and later as a suspect in the killing of Brian Thompson, the CEO of United Healthcare. Mangione was arrested and arraigned in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on December 9, 2024. After waiving extradition in Pennsylvania, he appeared in federal court in New York City on December 19, 2024. Mangione was arraigned in the New York Supreme Court on December 23, 2024, and pleaded not guilty to the state charges.

Personal Information

Full Name	Luigi Nicholas Mangione
Date of Birth	May 6, 1998
Birth Place	Towson, Maryland, USA
Nationality	American
Alma Mater	Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) and Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) from the University of Pennsylvania
Known for	Involvement in the high-profile case of Brian Thompson’s murder
Occupation	Data engineer at TrueCar
Parents	Louis Mangione (father) Kathleen Mangione (mother)
Siblings	MariaSanta Mangione (sister) Lucia Mangione (sister)
Spouse	Not Married
Relatives	Nicholas Mangione (paternal grandfather) Mary Cuba Mangione (paternal grandmother) Nino Mangione (paternal cousin)

Luigi Mangione has been indicted on eleven state charges and faces four federal charges, including first-degree murder, murder in furtherance of terrorism, criminal possession of a weapon, and stalking. The federal murder-by-firearm charge makes him eligible for the death penalty.

Early Life and Education

Luigi Mangione was born on May 6, 1998, in Towson, Maryland, USA, and comes from a family of Italian (Sicilian) descent. He is the son of Louis Mangione, a real estate developer, and Kathleen Mangione, the owner of a boutique travel company. His extended family has been influential in Maryland’s business and political circles. He has two sisters: Maria Santa Mangione, a doctor, and Lucia Mangione, a visual artist. His cousin, Nino Mangione, is an elected member of the Maryland House of Delegates.

His paternal grandfather, Nicholas Mangione, was a successful businessman known for his real estate holdings, the nursing home company Lorien Health Services, and the radio station WCBM. His paternal grandmother, Mary Cuba Mangione, was a Loyola University benefactor and the recipient of the President’s Medal in 2010.

Luigi Mangione attended Gilman School, an elite all-boys private school in Baltimore, where he graduated as valedictorian (highest-performing student) in 2016. He then pursued higher education at the University of Pennsylvania, earning a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) in computer engineering in 2020, followed by a Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) in computer and information science. His academic focus included a minor in mathematics and a concentration in artificial intelligence during his graduate studies. In 2020, he was also a member of the Eta Kappa Nu Honour Society, founded in 1904 for students in electrical and computer engineering.

Career

Luigi Mangione was a UI programming intern at the video game company Firaxis Games from May 2016 to August 2017, during his undergraduate studies. After earning his degree, he joined TrueCar, a car retailing website headquartered in Santa Monica, California, as a data engineer in November 2020. He worked remotely from Honolulu, Hawaii, until his employment ended in 2023.

Personal Life

Luigi Mangione suffers from spondylolisthesis and Lyme disease. He underwent spinal fusion surgery in July 2023. He was never insured by UnitedHealthcare and was instead insured by Blue Cross Blue Shield.

In 2022, he lived for six months at Surfbreak, a co-living space in Honolulu founded by R.J. Martin. In late 2023, he visited Hawaii and toured Maui, the Big Island, and Oahu. During his visit, he received a trespassing citation at the Nu’uanu Pali Lookout and was fined $100.

On December 9, 2024, social media personality Caroline Calloway claimed on X (formerly Twitter) that she had slept with Luigi Mangione.

In the summer of 2024, Mangione allegedly stopped posting on social media. On November 18, 2024, his mother reported him missing to the San Francisco Police Department, saying the family had not heard from him since July of that year, shortly after a trip to East and Southeast Asia. Mangione's mother contacted the San Francisco Police Department because she believed that Mangione lived in San Francisco and still worked for TrueCar, which had an office there.

Arrest of Luigi Mangione

On December 4, 2024, Brian Thompson, the CEO of the American health insurance company UnitedHealthcare, was shot and killed in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The gunman was masked and had arrived in New York via a bus from Atlanta. The words "delay," "deny," and "depose" were written on the spent cases and an ejected cartridge.

On December 9, 2024, local police arrested Luigi Mangione at a McDonald's restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after an employee recognized him and reported it. During the search, police reportedly found a 3D-printed ghost gun, a 3D-printed suppressor linked to the weapons used in the shooting, and a falsified New Jersey driver's license bearing the name "Mark Rosario," the same name used by the alleged shooter to check into a Manhattan hostel. Mangione had no prior criminal record.

The police also said that when they arrested Mangione, they found a 262-word handwritten document partly about the American healthcare system, which has been characterized as a manifesto by multiple media outlets.

Mangione was charged in Blair County, Pennsylvania, on December 9, 2024, with carrying a gun without a license, forgery, falsely identifying himself to authorities, and possessing instruments of crime. He was arraigned around 6 p.m. at the Blair County Courthouse on firearms charges and questioned by the New York City Police Department, and was denied bail. He was then sent to the State Correctional Institution at Huntingdon, a maximum-security state prison.

Luigi Mangione was extradited to New York City and is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he faces multiple charges, including first-degree murder, murder in furtherance of terrorism, criminal possession of a weapon, and stalking. The federal murder-by-firearm charge makes him eligible for the death penalty.

On December 23, 2024, Mangione was arraigned in the New York Supreme Court and pleaded not guilty to the state charges.

Luigi Mangione’s defense strategy involves a strong legal team. His Pennsylvania attorney, Thomas Dickey, announced that Mangione would plead not guilty to all charges. However, Mangione later hired Karen Friedman Agnifilo, a former prosecutor and legal analyst, as his defense attorney for the New York case.

Public Image

Since his arrest, Mangione’s alleged actions have sparked widespread debate about corporate greed and the healthcare industry’s practices. Many view him as a symbol of resistance against what they perceive as unfair claim denial practices by health insurance companies. This sentiment has led to a surprising amount of public support for Mangione, with some seeing him as a folk hero. On the other hand Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, have condemned any attempts to portray him as a hero. According to polls conducted among American adults, roughly one in four respondents expressed sympathy for Mangione, with younger respondents and liberals being more likely to view him favourably.

After Mangione's arrest, he received widespread support and praise on social media, garnering over 460,000 followers after his identification on X (formerly Twitter). According to the Network Contagion Research Institute, variations of the hashtag "#FreeLuigi" have been shared over 50,000 times on X since his arrest. The support for Mangione is closely tied to public discontent with the corporate-controlled health insurance industry and widespread criticism of unfair claim denial practices. His case has also prompted calls for health insurance reform.

Images of Mangione depicted as a Roman Catholic saint have circulated online. Items and merchandise supporting Mangione were posted on Etsy, Amazon, and other e-commerce sites before being removed. Some of this merchandise reportedly became the subject of copyright and DMCA takedown requests from an entity claiming to represent UnitedHealth Group Inc. Other social media users shared links to Mangione's jail commissary account, soliciting donations for "snacks, sodas, an iPad, etc." The Independent reported that during his time in custody in Pennsylvania, Mangione had received over 100 pieces of mail.

Mangione has also been noted for his physical attractiveness, with Kara Alaimo, writing for TIME, describing him as having become "somewhat of an online sex symbol."

An Economist/YouGov poll conducted from December 15 to 17, surveying 1,553 U.S. adults, found that 43% of American citizens had a "somewhat unfavourable or very unfavourable" view of Mangione, while 21% had a "somewhat favourable or very favourable" view of him. Additionally, 37% were unsure. Mangione received the most support from citizens aged 18–29, who viewed him favourably by a 39%–29% margin, and from very liberal citizens, who viewed him favourably by a 47%–31% margin. He was viewed least favourably by citizens aged 65 and older (65% unfavourable vs. 5% favourable) and by very conservative citizens (62% unfavourable vs. 8% favourable).