NEW YORK CITY, A man falsely claiming to be an FBI agent appeared at a federal jail in New York City on Wednesday night and told officers he had a court order to release Luigi Mangione, authorities said.
Mark Anderson, 36, of Mankato, Minnesota, was arrested and charged with impersonating an FBI agent after officials say he attempted to free Mangione from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where Mangione is being held while awaiting state and federal murder trials in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
A criminal complaint filed against Anderson did not publicly identify the inmate he was trying to release, but a law enforcement official familiar with the case confirmed it was Mangione.
Anderson is expected to make an initial appearance Thursday in Brooklyn federal court. Online records did not list an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
According to the complaint, Anderson approached the jail intake area around 6:50 p.m. and told uniformed officers that he was an FBI agent carrying paperwork “signed by a judge” authorizing the release of a person in custody.
When asked for federal credentials, Anderson reportedly presented a Minnesota driver’s license, threw documents at officers, and claimed to have weapons. Officers searched his bag and found a barbecue fork and a circular steel blade, which appeared in a photo to be a small pizza cutter wheel.
Authorities said Anderson had traveled to New York from Minnesota and was working at a pizzeria after another job opportunity fell through.
The attempted jail release occurred during an important period in Mangione’s legal proceedings.
Hours before Anderson’s arrest, the Manhattan district attorney’s office urged a judge in Mangione’s state case to set a July 1 trial date.
Mangione is also scheduled to appear in court Friday for a conference in his federal case, where a judge is expected to decide whether prosecutors may seek the death penalty and whether certain evidence can be used.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty in both the state and federal cases. The state charges carry the possibility of life in prison.
Mangione has drawn significant public attention, with supporters regularly appearing at court hearings wearing green clothing and carrying signs calling for his release.
Brian Thompson, 50, was killed on Dec. 4, 2024, as he walked to a Manhattan hotel for an investor conference. Surveillance footage showed a masked gunman shooting him from behind. Police said words were written on ammunition in a manner resembling phrases used to criticize the health insurance industry.
Mangione, a 27-year-old graduate from a wealthy Maryland family, was arrested five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, before being transferred to New York.
The Metropolitan Detention Center has housed several high-profile inmates, and the investigation into Anderson’s actions remains ongoing.
