Luigi Mangione‘s lawyers say Bondi’s death penalty decision was tainted by conflict of interest
NEW YORK (AP) — Luigi Mangione’s lawyers say Attorney General Pam Bondi decision to seek the death penalty The case against him in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was tainted by his previous work as a lobbyist for a firm that represented the insurer’s parent company.
Bondi was a partner at Ballard Partners before leading the Justice Department’s mission to turn Mangione’s federal investigation into a deadly case, creating a “profound conflict of interest” that violated his due process rights, his lawyers wrote in a court filing late Friday. They want prosecutors to be barred from seeking the death penalty and to have some charges dropped. The hearing is scheduled for January 9.
By involving oneself in the death penalty decision and Press statements suggesting Mangione deserved to be executedMangione’s lawyers said Bondi broke a promise he made before taking office in February that he would abide by ethics rules and stay away from matters involving Ballard clients for a year.
They argued that Bondi continued to profit from his work for Ballard, and indirectly from his work for UnitedHealth Group, through a profit-sharing agreement with the lobbying firm and a defined contribution plan he administered.
His lawyers wrote that “the person with the authority to seek Mangione’s death has a financial interest in his lawsuit.” The conflict of interest “should have caused him to recuse himself from making any decisions regarding this case,” they added.
Messages seeking comment were left with the Department of Justice and Ballard Partners.
Bondi announced in April that he had instructed Manhattan federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty, declaring that the death penalty was necessary for “a deliberate, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America” even before Mangione was formally charged.
Thompson, 50, was killed on Dec. 4, 2024, while walking to a Manhattan hotel for UnitedHealth Group’s annual investor conference. In the footage captured on the security camera, a masked attacker is seen shooting him from behind. Police said the phrases “delay,” “deny” and “state” on the ammunition mimicked wording used to describe how insurance companies avoid paying for damages.
Mangione, 27, Ivy League-educated scion of a wealthy family maryland family, He was arrested five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles (about 370 kilometers) west of Manhattan. He pleaded not guilty to federal and state murder charges. The state’s charges carry the possibility of life imprisonment. Neither hearing was scheduled.
Friday’s filing brought the focus back to Mangione’s federal case a day later. marathon pre-trial hearing The state case ended with prosecutors fighting to prevent him from using certain evidence found during his arrest, including a gun that police said matched the gun used to kill Thompson and a notebook in which he allegedly declared his intention to “attack” a health insurance executive. A decision is not expected until May.
Mangione’s defense team, led by husband-wife duo Karen Friedman-Agnifilo and Marc Agnifilo, focused on Bondi’s past lobbying efforts as they tried to persuade U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett to rule out the death penalty, dismiss some charges and exclude from the state case the same evidence they wanted suppressed.
Mangione’s lawyers argued in a September court filing that Bondi’s announcement that he had instructed prosecutors to seek the death penalty — followed by Instagram posts and TV appearances — showed the decision was “based on politics, not merit.” They also said his remarks tainted the grand jury process that resulted in an indictment several weeks later.
Bondi’s statements and other official actions — including a highly choreographed criminal march in which Mangione was escorted onto a Manhattan pier by armed police and the Trump administration’s disregard for established death penalty procedures — “violated Mr. Mangione’s constitutional and statutory rights and fatally harmed this death penalty case,” he said.
In a court filing last month, Federal prosecutors argued “Pretrial publicity itself, even if intense, is not a constitutional defect.”
Rather than dismissing the case outright or preventing the government from seeking the death penalty, prosecutors argued that the defense’s concerns could best be alleviated by carefully questioning potential jurors about their knowledge of the case and ensuring Mangione’s rights were respected at trial.
“What the defendant has re-articulated as a constitutional crisis is nothing more than a repackaging of allegations rejected in previous cases,” prosecutors said. “Neither warrants dismissal of the indictment or categorical barring of a sentence authorized by Congress.”
Mangione’s attorneys said they want to investigate Bondi’s ties to Ballard and the firm’s relationship with UnitedHealth Group and will seek a variety of materials, including details of compensation Bondi received from the firm, instructions he gave to Justice Department employees regarding the case or UnitedHealthcare, and affidavits from “any persons with personal knowledge of relevant matters.”
