Mangione could plead guilty in federal case ahead of NY murder trial

Law Mangione could plead guilty in federal case ahead of NY murder trial August 13, 20261:29 PM ET Brian Mann Luigi Mangione appears for a pre-trial hearing in Manhattan Criminal Court in New York, on Aug. 11, 2026. Steven Hirsch/Pool New York Post hide caption toggle caption Steven Hirsch/Pool New York Post Federal prosecutors and Luigi Mangione's defense team will hold a special court conference Friday morning in Manhattan federal court, raising intense speculation the two sides may have reached a plea agreement. The two sides requested the surprise hearing before Judge Margaret Garnett less than a month before Mangione's state trial is set to begin. Asked about the purpose of the session at a press conference Wednesday, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York James McDonald declined to comment. "There's a conference scheduled for 11 a.m. on Friday, that's all we can say at this time," McDonald said. Sponsor Message Mangione faces criminal charges in both state and federal court following the murder of Brian Thompson, the UnitedHealthcare CEO who was gunned down on a Manhattan street in December 2024. "Why would they be going to federal court tomorrow when they should be preparing for the state trial?" said Gary Galperin, a professor of law at Cardozo School of Law and former prosecutor in the New York County district attorney's office. "It would be reasonable to speculate that they may be trying to enter a guilty plea." After a nationwide manhunt, Mangione was later arrested in Altoona, Penn. Police officers seized a pistol and a notebook that included writings critical of the U.S. healthcare and insurance industries. The case has drawn intense media scrutiny. Mangione, despite facing state and federal murder charges in what some are characterizing as a vigilante-style action against soaring medical costs, has attracted surprising levels of public support. Federal charges against Mangione that threatened him with a possible death penalty were toss...