Federal prosecutors say Mark Anderson, 36, went to Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center on Jan. 28 claiming to be a federal agent with an order to free Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the Dec. 4, 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Anderson allegedly produced a Minnesota driver's license, warned he had weapons, threw documents at staff and was detained; officers found a barbecue fork and a rounded blade in his bag. Mangione remains in federal custody as prosecutors pursue the death penalty and the case advances through conflicting federal and state scheduling requests.
Man Allegedly Posed as FBI Agent With Fake Court Order to Free Luigi Mangione — Charged
Luigi MangioneCurtis Means/Pool Photo via AP
Federal prosecutors say a 36-year-old man showed up at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center on Jan. 28 claiming to possess a court order to free Luigi Mangione, the 27-year-old suspect accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The visitor, identified as Mark Anderson of Mankato, Minn., is now charged with impersonating an FBI agent.
Arrest and Allegations
According to a newly unsealed federal complaint, Anderson presented himself to Bureau of Prisons staff as a federal agent and said he had paperwork authorizing Mangione's release. When asked for credentials, he allegedly produced only a Minnesota driver's license. Prosecutors say Anderson then claimed he had weapons in his bag and ultimately threw documents at staff, prompting his detention.
The Metropolitan Detention Center in BrooklynZhang Fengguo/Xinhua via Getty
Items Found and Investigation Details
After Anderson was detained, officers searched his bag and discovered a barbecue fork and a rounded blade described in the complaint as resembling a pizza cutter. A law enforcement source told PEOPLE that Anderson had recently worked at a pizzeria. The complaint itself did not name the inmate Anderson claimed to be freeing, but PEOPLE's source confirmed the target was Mangione.
Who Is Luigi Mangione?
Luigi Mangione, 27, is accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel during an investors' conference in the early hours of Dec. 4, 2024. He remains in federal custody and faces a parallel New York state prosecution on second-degree murder charges.
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK
Legal Timeline and Next Steps
Federal prosecutors continue to pursue the death penalty in the case. Judge Margaret Garnett of the Southern District of New York has indicated she would prefer a federal trial date in January 2027 if the death penalty remains an option; if capital punishment is removed, she suggested a trial beginning Oct. 13. Anderson is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court in Brooklyn on Jan. 29, and Mangione is due back in federal court for a status conference on Jan. 30.
Separately, the Manhattan District Attorney's office has asked the state court to begin Mangione's state trial on July 1, arguing that the state's interests would be prejudiced by unnecessary delay. Mangione's defense attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, called a July 1 start date unrealistic, saying the defense needs more time to prepare for the federal case. No ruling has been made on the scheduling dispute.
Context: Metropolitan Detention Center
Mangione has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center since roughly two weeks after Thompson's killing, following his apprehension at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania and extradition to New York. The facility has housed other high-profile detainees, including deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, and previously detained figures such as Sean 'Diddy' Combs and Sam Bankman-Fried.
Note: Federal prosecutors allege impersonation and attempted interference with a federal detainee; the investigation and related court proceedings are ongoing.
Help us improve.
