Defense Challenges Death Penalty and Federal Charges in Luigi Mangione Case Citing Conflict of Interest with Attorney General Pam Bondi
Luigi Mangione, 27, faces federal charges including the death penalty for the December 4, 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel. Following a five-day manhunt, Mangione was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Authorities recovered bullets and a notebook allegedly attacking the insurance industry.
Mangione’s defense team, led by Karen Friedman Agnifilo and Marc Agnifilo, is seeking to dismiss two federal charges and remove the death penalty. They argue that Attorney General Pam Bondi has a conflict of interest due to her previous employment with Ballard Partners, which represented UnitedHealth Group. The defense requests an investigation into Bondi’s connections to Ballard Partners, its relationship with UnitedHealth, as well as her compensation and instructions to Department of Justice staff in this case.
Bondi, who was Florida’s attorney general before joining Ballard Partners in 2019, left the firm upon her appointment as US Attorney General earlier in 2025. She publicly described the DOJ’s pursuit of the death penalty as a response to a premeditated assassination that is part of a wider political agenda linked to former President Trump’s slogan “Make America Safe Again.”
Judge Margaret Garnett has previously cautioned DOJ officials against making public comments to prevent juror bias. Prosecutors maintain that the pretrial publicity does not constitute a constitutional issue and that the case should proceed normally.
Two significant state murder charges were dismissed during pretrial hearings, but prosecutors contend that the federal prosecution should continue. A ruling on the admissibility of evidence relevant to the case is expected in May. A hearing to determine the fate of the death penalty, federal charges, and possible suppression of evidence is scheduled for January 9, 2026, in the Southern District of New York in Manhattan.
