A Minnesota man allegedly tried to break Luigi Mangione out of his New York jail by posing as an FBI agent in a brazen plot that was ultimately foiled, police said.
Mark Anderson, 36, was charged on Thursday with impersonating a federal agent as he allegedly tried to sneak Mangione, 27, out of the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
Sources told ABC News that the ill-fated escape attempt saw Anderson approach an intake area inside the jail to get close to the accused healthcare CEO assassin.
Anderson allegedly lied to officials by claiming he had paperwork ‘signed by a judge’ authorizing the release of Mangione.
The criminal complaint against Anderson does not name Mangione as the target of the alleged breakout attempt, but sources said the murder suspect was the focus of the plot.
The scheme reportedly fell apart when Bureau of Prisons staff asked to see Anderson’s credentials, which led him to show his Minnesota driver’s license and throw ‘numerous documents’ at the personnel.
Anderson then allegedly warned staff that he had weapons in his bag, and a search of his belongings found a barbeque fork and a tool resembling a pizza cutter, according to the criminal complaint.
The alleged escape plot comes just one day before Mangione is due back in court, where a judge may decide if the 27-year-old could face the death penalty if convicted with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
It comes as Mangione nears the start of his high-profile trial for Thompson’s murder. The official start date has not yet been set.
Earlier this month, Mangione appeared to be playing to the cameras as he appeared in court for a pre-trial hearing, flashing a boyish grin as his flock of female admirers ogled from the gallery.
Ahead of his trial, Mangione’s lawyers have attempted to bar key pieces of evidence against him from being heard by a jury, arguing a bungled investigation by police made the evidence inadmissible.
Mangione allegedly shot Thompson on a Manhattan sidewalk in the early hours of December 4, 2024 before fleeing the scene on a bike.
He was arrested almost a week later in a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, a small town over 300 miles away from the crime scene.
Police said that when he was arrested, they discovered a manifesto and a gun inside his backpack, alongside notes to himself to ‘check reports for current situation’ – a possible reference to news reports after Thompson’s death made headlines.
Mangione’s attorneys have argued that the chain of custody for the evidence found in his backpack was not appropriately followed, and they alleged he was not read his Miranda Rights.
Prosecutors say that the backpack was searched legally because Altoona police protocols require the immediate search of suspect’s property at the time of their arrest for dangerous items, and said police later obtained a warrant for the evidence.
Officers later said they only found a loaded magazine in the bag at first, but in a later search at a police station they discovered the gun and a silencer.
An inventory search then found a notebook and other notes, including an alleged ‘to do list’ for Mangione to follow after the shooting.
Among the evidence shown at the pretrial hearing was a Philadelphia transit pass purchased at 1.06pm – a little more than six hours after the shooting – and a ticket for a Greyhound bus, booked under the name Sam Dawson, leaving Philadelphia at 6.30pm and arriving in SSSSat 11.55pm.
Among the notes presented to the hearing was one with a heading ’12/5′ and a starred entry that said: ‘Buy black shoes (white stripes too distinctive)’.
Another, also written in to-do list style, suggested spending more than three hours away from surveillance cameras and using different modes of transportation to ‘Break CAM continuity’ and avoid tracking.
Below that, it said: ‘Check reports for current situation’ a possible reference to news reports about the search for Thompson’s killer.
A note with the heading ’12/8′ lists a number of tasks, including an apparent trip to Best Buy to purchase a digital camera and accessories, ‘hot meal + water bottles’ and ‘trash bag(s)’.
Under ’12/9,’ the day of Mangione’s arrest, the note lists tasks including ‘Sheetz,’ an Altoona-based convenience store chain, ‘masks’ and ‘AAA bats’. Mangione had a Sheetz hoagie in his backpack when he was arrested, along with a loaf of Italian bread from a local deli, police officers testified.
A note titled ‘Future TO DO,’ listed ‘intel checkin’ and ‘survival kit’.
This is a developing story and will be updated as information is confirmed.
