Accused CEO killer Luigi Mangione is expected to face federal charges in the coming days — on top of the first-degree New York state murder charge he was hit with Tuesday, according to law enforcement sources.
Sources told The Post federal prosecutors have filed a sealed complaint against the 26-year-old, who allegedly fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a Midtown Manhattan street on Dec. 4.
Part of the reason the feds have pursued the case is because it could allow them to ask for the death penalty in the high-profile slaying, sources noted.
Mangione is set to face federal charges in addition to his first-degree New York state murder charge. REUTERSNew York got rid of the death penalty in 2004, but federal authorities can still push to ask juries to impose capital punishment in certain murder cases.
It’s unclear what federal charges Mangione will face, or when the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York will unseal the complaint.
Mangione was slapped with an upgraded first-degree rap by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday to go along with the two second-degree murder counts he’s facing.
The upcoming federal charges against Mangione are not immediately known. Obtained by NY PostHe has denied carrying out the brazen shooting.
Mangione was captured days after the slaying in Pennsylvania following what Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg called a “well-planned targeted murder.”
While the Ivy Leaguer is in custody in the Keystone State, he is expected to waive extradition and be hauled back to the Big Apple on Thursday.
Mangione was captured in Pennsylvania days after the fatal shooting. WNYW/Fox 5The Manhattan US Attorney’s Office declined comment.
A spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said the “state case will proceed in parallel with any federal case” in a statement to The Post.
Mangione’s lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, questioned the legality of concurrent state and federal cases against her client.
“The federal government’s reported decision to pile on top of an already overcharged first-degree murder and state terror case is highly unusual and raises serious constitutional and statutory double jeopardy concerns,” Agnifilo said in a statement.
“We are ready to fight these charges in whatever court they are brought,” she added.
If he’s convicted of the state first-degree murder charge, Mangione could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
