- Donations to Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old Maryland man accused of shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, are pouring into a fund set up for his legal defense. The so-called December 4th Legal Committee raised $300,000 toward a $500,000 goal. The organizers claim the money came from more than 10,000 individual donors with an average spend of $30. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to New York state murder and weapons charges.
Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old Maryland man accused of stalking and murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson while Thompson was on his way to a work conference with investors in New York City, has thousands of financial backers for his legal defense.
A fundraiser set up on the GiveSendGo platform has raised $304,000 from more than 10,000 donors globally, although most hail from the U.S., a spokesperson for the December 4th Legal Committee told Fortune. Organizers claimed in an update on Monday that Mangione’s lead defense lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo of law firm Agnifilo Intrater LLP, had accepted the crowdfunded donations for his expenses. According to a press release, Agnifilo told organizers Mangione “is aware of the fund and very much appreciates the outpouring of support.”
Mangione faces murder and terrorism charges in New York state and federal charges of stalking and murder through the use of a firearm, which carries the possibility of the death penalty or life in prison. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to the state murder charges in New York and he is due back in court this month. Authorities allege Mangione shot Thompson, a 50-year-old married father of two, from behind as he walked to an investor day conference in the morning hours of Dec. 4, 2024 in midtown Manhattan. After a five-day manhunt, law enforcement tracked Mangione to a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa. where he was allegedly carrying a 3-D printed ghost gun, silencer, and a fake ID. Authorities said Mangione also had a notebook with him that included critical writings about insurance companies.
The aftermath of Thompson’s murder and Mangione’s reported cynical view of healthcare companies polarized Americans, with some siding with the accused killer. After Thompson's death, UnitedHealthcare announced Tim Noel as its next CEO of the healthcare operating division.
On Monday, organizers of the December 4 Legal Committee posted this message: “Yesterday marked the two month anniversary since Luigi Mangione's arrest. Americans watched the media scramble to demonize him as social media comments overflowed with support.” The organizers said an effort by a news outlet to call the fund “stagnant” resulted ignited a new $64,000 surge in financial support. The committee is made up of a team of 15 volunteers, and began fundraising after Thompson was shot on Dec. 4, 2024. The group said it will continue raising funds for Mangione's defense for the duration of his trial.
Organizers urged Mangione’s supporters to “find creative and public ways to advocate for him” during his time at Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, the same prison as Sean “Diddy” Combs and financial fraudster Sam Bankman Fried. Mangione’s lawyer, Agnifilo, is married to Marc Agnifilo, who represents Combs.
UnitedHealthcare did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
