Lawyers Say AG Pam Bondi's Death-Penalty Push Was Compromised By Lobbying Ties To UnitedHealth

NEW YORK — Attorneys for Luigi Mangione contend that Attorney General Pam Bondi's decision to seek the death penalty in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was tainted by a conflict of interest tied to her prior work at Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm that represented UnitedHealth Group's parent company.

Defense Allegations

In a court filing late Friday, Mangione's lawyers argued that Bondi, who had been a partner at Ballard Partners before taking office, led the Justice Department's effort to convert Mangione's federal prosecution into a capital case. They say that created a "profound conflict of interest" and violated his due process rights.

The defense says Bondi publicly advocated for capital punishment — announcing in April that she had directed Manhattan federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty and calling the killing a "premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America" even before Mangione was formally indicted. They also point to Bondi's Instagram posts and television appearances as evidence the decision was politically motivated.

Mangione's lawyers further claim Bondi continued to benefit financially from Ballard through a profit-sharing arrangement and a defined contribution plan administered by the firm, and that those ties create an indirect financial interest in UnitedHealth Group. "The very person" empowered to seek the death penalty, they wrote, "has a financial stake in the case she is prosecuting." They ask the court to bar prosecutors from seeking capital punishment, dismiss certain charges and exclude evidence obtained at Mangione's arrest.

Case Background

Brian Thompson, 50, was shot and killed on Dec. 4, 2024, while walking to a Manhattan hotel for UnitedHealth Group's investor conference. Surveillance footage showed a masked gunman firing from behind. Police noted that ammunition recovered bore the words "delay," "deny" and "depose," language critics use to describe tactics insurers sometimes use to resist claims.

Twenty-seven-year-old Luigi Mangione — described in court filings as an Ivy League–educated scion of a wealthy Maryland family — was arrested five days later at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He has pleaded not guilty to federal and state murder charges; state charges carry the possibility of life in prison. No trial dates have been set.

Evidence Disputes And Procedural Challenges

The defense is also fighting to suppress evidence recovered at the time of arrest, including a gun authorities say matched the murder weapon and a notebook in which Mangione allegedly wrote about plans to "wack" a health insurance executive. A marathon pretrial hearing on those issues concluded recently; a ruling on state-evidence issues is not expected until May.

Mangione's lawyers criticized other aspects of the government's handling of the case — pointing to a highly choreographed public arrest and what they describe as departures from established federal death-penalty procedures — and say those steps have prejudiced the prosecution.

Prosecutors' Response

Federal prosecutors responded that intense pretrial publicity alone does not constitute a constitutional defect and urged the court not to dismiss the case or categorically bar the death penalty. Instead, they argued the concerns can be addressed through careful juror screening (voir dire) and procedural safeguards at trial. "What the defendant recasts as a constitutional crisis is merely a repackaging of arguments" rejected in other cases, their filing said.

Next Steps

A hearing on the conflict and death-penalty motion is scheduled for Jan. 9. Mangione's defense has said it will seek documents related to Bondi's ties to Ballard, including records of compensation, any directives she gave Justice Department staff regarding UnitedHealth or the case, and sworn testimony from individuals with direct knowledge of the relevant matters.

Messages seeking comment were left with the Justice Department and Ballard Partners.