Prosecutors will recommend he serve life in prison for the fatal shooting of UnitedHealth Group executive Brian Thompson
2-MIN READ2-MINBloombergPublished: 6:46am, 14 Aug 2026Luigi Mangione is expected to plead guilty on Friday to resolve federal charges relating to the fatal shooting of UnitedHealth Group executive Brian Thompson, and prosecutors will recommend he serve life in prison, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday.
The plea would come at a Friday hearing that US District Judge Margaret Garnett set after federal prosecutors and defence lawyers jointly requested one.
Court records did not identify the purpose of the hearing, and it is possible that a deal could still fall apart, according to the person, who requested anonymity because the talks are private.
Federal prosecutors and Mangione’s lawyers also had plea talks in late June, but those discussions failed to reach a deal, according to two people familiar with the negotiations.
The New York Times reported earlier that Mangione was expected to plead guilty in Manhattan federal court on Friday.
Mangione, 28, faces both federal and New York state charges over the shooting of Thompson on December 4, 2024, outside a midtown Manhattan hotel where UnitedHealth held an investor conference.
