Brooklyn, United States. Federal prosecutors say a Minnesota man impersonated an FBI agent and attempted to secure the release of Luigi Mangione from a Brooklyn federal jail, according to court records. Prosecutors said the man was arrested after telling guards he had weapons, and a search found a barbecue fork and a pizza-cutter blade.
Alleged impersonation attempt at Brooklyn detention center
Brooklyn federal prosecutors on Wednesday accused Mark Anderson, 36, of Mankato, Minnesota, of arriving at the Metropolitan Detention Center and telling prison staff he was an FBI agent with paperwork signed by a judge authorizing the release of an inmate, court records show.
The criminal complaint does not identify the inmate, but a law enforcement source not authorized to speak publicly said it was Mangione. The source said Anderson was working at a pizzeria after arriving in New York.
Information on a legal representative for Anderson was not immediately available on Thursday.
Items found during arrest
Prosecutors said Anderson provided his Minnesota driver’s license when asked to show credentials and told prison guards he had weapons. Guards arrested and searched Anderson and found a barbecue fork and a round pizza-cutter blade in his backpack, according to the complaint.
He also threw documents at guards that appeared to be unspecified claims against the U.S. Department of Justice, the complaint said.
Mangione case background and upcoming proceedings
Mangione, 27, is awaiting trial in a death penalty murder case on charges that he killed Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth Group, in Manhattan in 2024. He has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges in separate state and federal cases.
Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, in December 2024 after a five-day manhunt that followed Thompson’s murder. Police say they found a 3D-printed handgun, a silencer and a note criticizing the U.S. healthcare system in his backpack.
Mangione’s pretrial hearings have drawn spectators who voice support for him, and demonstrators have gathered outside courthouses to protest health insurance industry practices.
He is tentatively set to stand trial in Manhattan federal court in September on charges of murder with a firearm, use of a firearm in a crime and stalking. Mangione’s lawyers have asked a judge to either dismiss the indictment over alleged legal deficiencies or to block prosecutors from seeking the death penalty if he is convicted.
What do you think the court should consider when assessing an alleged impersonation attempt tied to a high-profile case?
