Federal prosecutors told a court that claims by Luigi Mangione’s lawyers about Pam Bondi’s continued financial ties to Ballard Partners are “meritless,” saying Bondi’s Ballard 401(k) reflects past compensation and contributions stopped after she left. Deputy U.S. Attorney Sean Buckley argued there is no present financial gain tying Bondi to the UnitedHealth-related prosecution. The defense contends Bondi’s prior lobbying work and public push for the death penalty created a conflict and seeks recusal, suppression of evidence and a bar on capital charges; a hearing is set for Friday and evidentiary rulings are expected by May.
Prosecutors Call Mangione Team’s Claims About Pam Bondi’s Ballard Ties “Meritless” as Death-Penalty Conflict Allegations Persist
Attorney General Pam Bondi arrives at the U.S. Capitol Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Washington, to brief top lawmakers after President Donald Trump directed U.S. forces to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Federal prosecutors on Wednesday sharply rejected claims by Luigi Mangione’s lawyers that former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi’s past ties to lobbying firm Ballard Partners created a conflict of interest in the federal prosecution of the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Prosecutors' Filing
In a court filing, Deputy Manhattan U.S. Attorney Sean Buckley said the defense’s contention that Bondi continued receiving profit-sharing payments from Ballard is inaccurate. Buckley wrote that while Bondi does retain a Ballard-linked 401(k) that reflects past, fully earned compensation, the firm agreed to stop making contributions when she left.
“The defendant’s narrative collapses under the weight of his own assumptions, because a financial conflict theory requires a demonstrable financial benefit tethered to the litigation,” Buckley wrote. “Where no present or future financial gain exists, there is no conflict.”
Defense Allegations
Mangione’s attorneys argue that Bondi’s prior lobbying work at Ballard and her public decision to direct Manhattan federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty created a “profound conflict of interest” that violated his due process rights. They have asked a court to bar the government from seeking capital punishment and to suppress or dismiss certain charges and evidence; a hearing is scheduled for Friday.
Luigi Mangione appears in Manhattan Criminal Court for an evidence hearing, Thursday , Dec. 18, 2025, in New York. (Curtis Means/Pool Photo via AP)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Buckley also pushed back on the defense’s reading of a January 2025 letter in which Bondi pledged to follow ethical rules and refrain from participating in matters involving Ballard clients for one year. Buckley noted the letter stated Bondi would not participate in “any matter in which Ballard Partners, or a client of Ballard Partners, was a party,” and argued that neither Ballard nor UnitedHealth Group is a party to Mangione’s criminal cases.
“Bondi had no ethical, statutory, or constitutional obligation to recuse herself,” Buckley wrote, adding that any reputational or emotional interest Ballard or its clients may have in the outcome does not convert them into parties requiring recusal.
Case Background
Brian Thompson, 50, was shot and killed on Dec. 4, 2024, as he walked to a Manhattan hotel to attend UnitedHealth Group’s annual investor conference. Surveillance video shows a masked gunman firing at him from behind. Police said ammunition recovered from the scene bore the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose,” echoing criticism of insurer practices.
Luigi Mangione appears in Manhattan Criminal Court for an evidence hearing, Thursday , Dec. 18, 2025, in New York. (Shannon Stapleton/Pool Photo via AP)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Authorities arrested Luigi Mangione, 27, five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. An Ivy League-educated scion of a wealthy Maryland family, Mangione has pleaded not guilty to federal and state murder charges. State charges carry a potential life sentence; federal prosecutors were directed by Bondi last April to seek the death penalty.
The federal case returned to the spotlight after a marathon pretrial hearing in the state case. The defense is seeking to exclude evidence seized at arrest — including a gun prosecutors say matched the murder weapon and a notebook in which Mangione allegedly wrote of plans to “wack” a health-insurance executive. Rulings on those motions are expected by May.
Mangione’s federal defense team, led by Karen Friedman-Agnifilo and Marc Agnifilo, is pressing U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett to rule out capital punishment, narrow charges, and exclude contested evidence.
Mangione’s lawyers previously argued that Bondi’s public statements, social-media posts and media appearances announcing her directive to seek the death penalty suggested the decision was political rather than based on legal merits, and that those actions tainted the grand jury process. The defense also criticized the manner of Mangione’s public arrest, including a widely noted perp walk.
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