LUIGI Mangione will never be found guilty for allegedly executing UnitedHealthcare's CEO — instead, prosecutors will burn through taxpayer dollars trying to convict him, a prison consultant has claimed.
led detectives on a frantic six-day manhunt that ended in the preppy 26-year-old's arrest in Altoona, , nearly 300 miles from where health executive Brian Thompson was gunned down.
Federal prosecutors said Mangione began planning the meticulous crime as early as August.
They argue that he "procrastinated" while steadily " learning more about his target," UnitedHealthcare CEO Thompson.
"This investor conference is a true windfall... and - most importantly - the message becomes self evident," Mangione allegedly wrote in a notebook in October about the gathering Thompson was scheduled to attend at the Hilton hotel in Midtown on the morning of December 4.
When Mangione was arrested at a McDonald's in Altoona on December 9, he had a backpack in which authorities uncovered a ghost gun with a compressor, thousands of dollars in cash, several fake IDs, a manifesto, and a separate letter addressed "to the Feds."
This is no longer about Luigi and what he did. It's about the healthcare system.
Larry Levine
In the letter, according to the federal indictment, Mangione allegedly confessed.
"I wasn't working with anyone," it read.
"This was fairly trivial: Some elementary social engineering, basic [computer-aided design] CAD, a lot of patience.
"P.S. you can check serial numbers to verify this is all self-funded. My own ATM withdrawals."
Despite the apparent written confession, Mangione pleaded not guilty in New York state court on Monday to 11 criminal counts, including first-degree murder as an act of terror.
Wall Street Prison Consultants founder Larry Levine believes that when Mangione's trial eventually starts, a jury will never reach a unanimous guilty verdict.
Levine told The U.S. Sun Mangione's case has moved beyond Thompson's murder and instead has incited the American public's resentment and discontent towards health insurance companies.
"He'll never be found guilty. Who primarily uses healthcare? Older people," Levine, who served 10 years in federal prison on a swell of racketeering and securities charges, said.
"Who gets turned down for procedures and healthcare primary care? Older people. Who primarily sits on a jury? Older people.
"This is no longer about Luigi and what he did. It's about the healthcare system."
At his arraignment on Monday, at least two dozen female demonstrators filled the courtroom gallery in Lower Manhattan.
Alicia Thomas, a resident of the South Bronx, braved the frigid temperature to show her support for Mangione, whom she said was "innocent."
She vented about her frustration with the healthcare industry to , recalling how she suffered from a postpartum hemorrhage after giving birth.
Thomas, who has a 1-year-old son, said she wanted to spend more than two days in the hospital after giving birth but could not afford care beyond what her Medicaid insurance provided.
She said Mangione's case has brought the need to improve healthcare to the forefront.
"It sparked a catalyst to think about what kind of world we are going to leave our children," the mom told the outlet as she held a St. Justo Juez prayer candle, which she planned to light for Mangione.
In the Catholic religion, a scented candle with the image of St. Justo Juez is used in prayer to ask God for his blessing, as well as for protection and defense.
He talked about not being able to sleep, laying in pain, things like that. I guess a lot kind of resonated with me in regards to the pain and not getting help with the healthcare system.
Nicholas Zamudio
"Our generation has seen so much devastation throughout the years, and our children are going to suffer at the hands of corporate greed."
Nicholas Zamudio, 33, resonated with Mangione's writings about his spinal injury, noting he also received a similar spinal fusion operation.
Outside the Lower Manhattan courthouse, Zamudio held up a sign that read, "United States Healthcare Stole My Livelihood. Prosecute Malicious Profiteers."
He told ABC News he decided to protest against the healthcare industry after spending over $100,000 out of pocket for his treatment after an electric injury in 2021.
"I don't have insurance. I've drained my 401(k)," Zamudio said.
"I've drained everything that I have, and come January, I will be trying to keep a roof over my head by couch hopping amongst friends.
"I've lost everything, and that's what brought me out here.
"[Mangione] talked about not being able to sleep, laying in pain, things like that.
"I guess a lot kind of resonated with me in regards to the pain and not getting help with the healthcare system.
"I think murder is obviously wrong, but it did bring us to a point we needed to get to."
Prison expert Larry Levine predicts prosecutors will burn through resources and spend years trying to convict Mangione, which will end in the alleged assassin being found "not guilty by reasons of insanity."
"Just like Susan Smith, the lady that dropped her kids on the lake in the van, and people are saying she's just faking it, she's normal," Levine told The U.S. Sun.
"Would a normal person have done that? No. So, he really is cuckoo. So, what they'll do is they'll find him not guilty by reasons of insanity, and then they'll do something called a civil commitment.
"A civil commitment means that they take the person and they find that they essentially have mental issues that are diminished capacity or whatever.
"And, so, they lock them up for the rest of their life without being convicted in a mental institution.
The case has taken on a whole new life because it's not gonna be about the murder. It's gonna be about the healthcare system.
Larry Levine
"That's what they'll do, quick and easy, to waste all this money on prosecuting him and going through the motions.
"The guy already admitted that he did it. So, what kind of big investigation do you need on that? You don't need any investigation.
"Who cares what his motives were. His motives aren't gonna change the case because [Brian Thompson] is dead.
"But it's like, now the case has taken on a whole new life because it's not gonna be about the murder."
Levine continued, "It's gonna be about the healthcare system, and the prosecutor will say, 'Well, you need to ignore the fact that the healthcare system does this.'
"So, you mean to tell me that one person on that jury is gonna not give a s**t what the prosecutors think.
"That's why this whole thing is gonna be convoluted. He won't be found guilty, they'll retry him, he won't be found guilty, and they'll just do a civil commitment. I guarantee it."
Mangione's next appearance in state court is scheduled for February 21.
But, before then, he is expected to appear in federal court on January 18.
Mangione has not entered a plea on the four federal charges.
BRIAN Thompson, the 50-year-old CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was shot to death in Manhattan in an execution-like killing.
Here is everything we know about Thompson's murder so far.
Monday, December 2 - Thompson travels from his home in Minnesota to New York City for an investor conference in Midtown Manhattan.
Wednesday, December 4, 6:45 am - Thompson walks from his hotel across the street to the New York Hilton Midtown and is murdered by a masked shooter. The execution was caught on surveillance, and the suspect was seen biking away toward Central Park. Cops spark a citywide search for the assassin.
11:30 am - Cops released disturbing images of the execution, offered a reward for information, and made a desperate plea for New Yorkers to keep their eyes out.
12:00 pm - Thompson's estranged wife Paulette revealed her husband had been threatened before he was shot.
2:45 pm - Cops released more eerie images of the suspect ordering at Starbucks that partially revealed his face. The U.S. Sun confirmed the coffee shop was just two blocks away from the shooting, but it's unclear when he stopped by.
December 5, 6 am - Reports claim the words "deny," "dispose," and "defend" were engraved on live rounds and shell casings left behind by the assassin. These words echo the book Delay, Deny, Defend, which is about the failings of the healthcare industry. The author of the book had no comment on the reports.
8 am- Cops raid a hostel in the Upper West Side of New York City where the suspect is said to have stayed. It's believed he wore a mask for most of the time he was there.
11 am - A person of interest in Thompson's murder is pictured. He's wearing a hood in the photo, but his full face could be seen breaking into a beaming grin. Still, no arrests have been made in the investigation.
Afternoon - Law enforcement confirms the suspect arrived in New York City on a Greyhound bus on November 24. It's also confirmed that the suspect dropped a burner cell phone near the scene of the shooting.
December 6, 3 pm - Police announce they believe the killer has left New York City via interstate bus. They release more surveillance footage that shows him taking a taxi to the George Washington Bridge Bus Station.
December 9 - Luigi Mangione, 26, is arrested as a "strong person of interest" at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He was carrying a three-page manifesto, fake IDs, and a gun similar to the one used in Thompson's murder.
