Feds say Mangione inspired violence, prosecutors seek death penalty

Luigi Mangione, accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a Manhattan sidewalk on Dec. 4, is the subject of a federal filing in which prosecutors argue he has inspired others to embrace violence and thus poses a continuing danger. Mangione, who pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges and was arrested five days after the killing, is being held without bail in a federal jail in Brooklyn as federal prosecutors, at the direction of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, seek the death penalty for what they call a premeditated act of political violence.

In a filing late Wednesday in federal court in Manhattan, prosecutors said Mangione has sought to "normalize the use of violence to achieve ideological or political objectives." They cited what they described as a growing community of supporters who publicly identify as acolytes of the defendant and who, prosecutors wrote, have increasingly begun to view violence as an acceptable substitute for reasoned political disagreement. Prosecutors allege Mangione cultivated followers through a website, solicited and cataloged supportive letters there, and left behind writings expressing disdain for the insurance...