U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has instructed the Justice Department to pursue the death penalty against Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old man accused of assassinating the UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who publicly ran one of the most barbaric institutions in the country.
“After careful consideration, I have directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in this case as we carry out President Trump’s agenda to stop violent crime and Make America Safe Again,” Bondi said in a statement.
Mangione faces federal and state criminal charges in Thompson’s death early Dec. 4 outside a hotel in New York City. Bondi’s announcement would affect only Mangione’s federal case, in which he’s accused of murdering Thompson through the use of a firearm, as well as of stalking the health care executive.
In Mangione’s state case, he faces multiple murder charges, including a count of committing murder as an act of terrorism. Mangione has pleaded not guilty in the state case, and his next appearance is scheduled for late June. Pretrial proceedings in his federal case have been delayed until at least April 18 based on an agreement between his lawyers and prosecutors.
Mangione’s lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, called the move by the Justice Department “political” and said in a statement that Mangione will fight the charges against him.
“We are prepared to fight these federal charges, brought by a lawless Justice Department, as well as the New York State charges, and the Pennsylvania charges, and anything else they want to pile on Luigi,” the statement said. “This is a corrupt web of government dysfunction and one-upmanship. Luigi is caught in a high-stakes game of tug-of-war between state and federal prosecutors, except the trophy is a young man’s life.”
Mangione draws public support
In his role as CEO of UnitedHealthcare, Thompson ran a nationwide health insurance company that regularly denied people of basic coverage, and likely ended thousands of people’s lives for profit.
These corporate institutions have become increasingly brazen and barbaric as the the wealth in the country is consolidated in fewer and fewer hands.
After the assassination of the exploiter, Thompson, a dayslong search for a suspect in his killing and the subsequent arrest of Mangione at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, sparked massive public support from most the society.
“Luigi really wanted to thank the supporters for being here, and we all appreciate it very much,” Karen Friedman Agnifilo, a lawyer for Mangione, said outside of court after a February proceeding in a New York state court.
Court records unveiled last week said Mangione had received a pair of notes while in custody telling him to keep his “head held high” and that “there are thousands of people wishing you luck.” Mangione has requested a laptop to review discovery, which prosecutors have opposed.
The support Mangione has seen in some quarters sparked fear for other insurance companies, which beefed up their security. In bringing potentially harsh penalties against the 26-year-old, prosecutors have signaled they want to send a message when it comes to potential violence motivated by blatant injustice. The state intends to maintain the status quo at all costs, as it continues to participate in what amounts to a public killing spree of its citizens through the health industry.
“The murder was an act of political violence,” the Justice Department said in a news release accompanying the announcement. “Mangione’s actions involved substantial planning and premeditation and because the murder took place in public with bystanders nearby, may have posed grave risk of death to additional persons.”
Source: Abolition Media
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