RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. Luigi Mangione could plead guilty as early as Friday in the federal case accusing him of stalking and killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Mangione, 28, is accused of ambushing Thompson and shooting the 50-year-old father of two outside a Manhattan hotel on December 4, 2024. Thompson's widow, mother and several other relatives are attending Friday's proceeding, CNN reported.
A guilty plea in the federal case would be a significant development in one of the most closely watched criminal cases in the country. But it would raise several questions about how the federal and state cases against Mangione would proceed. A trial in the state case is scheduled to begin on September 8 before Justice Gregory Carro in Manhattan.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to charges in both the federal and state cases. Charges in each case carry the possibility of a life sentence.
Mangione is expected to plead guilty in the federal case at a hastily scheduled hearing on Friday, according to an unnamed person familiar with the matter. But the person cautioned that Mangione could still change his mind and the terms of any potential plea agreement are not clear.
The central questions are whether his plea would resolve the federal case, have an impact on the state murder case or affect his potential sentence.
In the federal case, Mangione faces two charges: interstate stalking resulting in death and stalking through use of interstate facilities resulting in death. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The federal complaint alleges he traveled across state lines to stalk and kill Thompson and that he used means such as a cellphone, the internet, interstate highways while planning and carrying out the attack.
A federal judge in January dismissed two other federal counts, including murder through use of a firearm, that had carried the possibility of the death penalty.
Separately, Mangione is facing state charges, including second-degree murder and firearms offenses. A judge last year threw out terrorism charges in the state case.
Both the federal and state cases carry the possibility of life imprisonment if Mangione is convicted.
A guilty plea to one or both charges in the federal case means Mangione admits legal responsibility for the offense and would mean he avoids a federal trial on that charge or charges and shift the case to sentencing.
It could come as part of a plea agreement negotiated with prosecutors or it could happen without a deal in place.
A plea agreement typically involves some form of understanding between prosecutors and the defense, and could come with a sentencing recommendation agreed by both parties.
But it would not automatically guarantee a shorter sentence since a judge would still have to accept the plea and decide the punishment.
If Mangione pleads guilty in the federal case, his attorneys would likely seek the dismissal of the state case under New York’s double jeopardy law.
The state’s law protects people from being prosecuted twice for the same conduct. It can be triggered if a jury has been sworn in a prior prosecution or if a prior prosecution ends in a guilty plea.
"Normally, parallel and state prosecutions for the same crime don't violate double jeopardy because they're dual sovereigns. We saw this with Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd, for instance," Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor and president of the firm West Coast Trial Lawyers in Los Angeles, told Newsweek.
"But New York is unique. New York has a specific state law that prohibits dual prosecutions for the ‘same criminal act or occurrence.’ It’s very possible the defense will argue that the stalking and murder were all part of the same criminal act and by pleading guilty in federal court, that prevents Mangione from being prosecuted in state court."
State prosecutors would certainly oppose such a move and have argued that their case is distinct. A judge would have to decide whether the state case can proceed.
In a letter last month, state prosecutors objected to the possibility of a guilty plea in the federal case ending the state case.
Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidemann wrote in a July 2 letter that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office would object if a guilty plea in the federal case "would operate to defeat a just outcome in the state prosecution."
"Any guilty pleas in these matters must account for the seriousness of defendant’s offenses, the loss of an innocent life, the impact of those crimes on the victim’s family, and the other state interests that are implicated, including the sanctity of life principle that underpins the state homicide charges," Seidemann wrote.
The state murder trial would also go ahead as expected in September.
At trial, prosecutors in each case would have to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, Mangione would face the maximum penalties available.
A guilty plea, by contrast, to either or both of the federal charges would avoid a trial on those offenses and the case would move to sentencing, and a fight over whether the guilty plea affects the state case.
Mangione could still face life imprisonment even if he pleads guilty to charges in the federal case.
But although it is the harshest punishment allowed by law, it is not necessarily the sentence that he would receive if he pleads guilty.
Under the terms of a plea agreement, prosecutors and defense lawyers could advocate for a specific sentence or range, although the court would still play a central role in deciding the penalty.
"The stalking charges in federal court carry a potential life sentence. But Mangione's guideline range under the United States Sentencing Guidelines is closer to 25-30 years," Rahmani said. "If the federal judge sentences Mangione to so...
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