Aug. 13 (Reuters) - Luigi Mangione, the man accused of gunning down a health insurance executive on a Manhattan sidewalk, is expected to plead guilty in a federal case charging him with stalking, the New York Times reported on Thursday, citing two people with knowledge of the matter.
A guilty plea would avert a trial in the closely watched case over the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a brazen crime that was condemned by public officials but became emblematic of Americans' frustration with health insurance industry practices. It would also allow Mangione to seek dismissal of his state murder case, which is set to go to trial next month.
A Mangione representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office declined to comment.
A federal judge would need to accept Mangione's guilty plea. He previously pleaded not guilty in April 2025 to murder, weapons and stalking charges brought by Manhattan federal prosecutors.
U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett, who is overseeing the case, threw out the murder and weapons charges over legal technicalities in a surprise ruling in January. The decision eliminated the possibility that Mangione would face the death penalty, though he still faces a possible sentence of life without parole if convicted on the remaining stalking charges.
His federal trial was most recently set for January.
Mangione separately pleaded not guilty in December 2024 to state terrorism, murder, weapons and forgery charges brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. The terrorism charges were thrown out by a judge in September 2025.
A trial in that case is scheduled for September 8 before Justice Gregory Carro in Manhattan.
If he pleads guilty in the federal case, Mangione is likely to seek dismissal of the murder charge under New York's double jeopardy law, which protects people from being prosecuted twice for the same conduct. Bragg's office would oppose the move, arguing that the murder charge is legally distinct from the federal charges. Whoever loses would likely seek an emergency appeal, which could push back the trial date.
Thompson led UnitedHealth Group's UNH.N insurance unit before he was shot dead in the early morning outside a hotel where an investor conference was taking place.
Graphic footage of the killing and a five-day manhunt for a suspect made the case a media fixture and social media sensation. Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania.
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