Man accused of posing as FBI agent to allegedly free Mangione

New York.- The man who allegedly tried to free Luigi Mangione from prison by impersonating an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was formally charged this Wednesday in the Eastern District of New York with impersonating a federal official, a crime that could carry a sentence of up to three years in prison if convicted.

The defendant, identified as Mark Anderson, 36 years old and a resident of Mankato, Minnesota, appeared before a federal court in Brooklyn following the presentation of the formal indictment against him. According to the indictment, Anderson appeared on January 28 at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, claiming to be an FBI agent and that he had a court order to release an inmate.

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The court document does not identify by name the inmate who allegedly intended to free him, although local media have linked the incident to Mangione, 27, who is held in that federal prison while facing charges for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4, 2024, in Manhattan.

Detention and finding of unusual utensils

Authorities indicated that when prison staff requested official credentials, Anderson only showed his driver’s license and stated that he was carrying weapons in his backpack. After being arrested, the officers found kitchen utensils in his bag, including a pizza cutter and a barbecue fork. The charge is based on Title 18 of the United States Code, section 912, which penalizes impersonating a federal officer.

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The episode occurs in parallel with the legal proceedings against Mangione, 27, who has pleaded not guilty and will not face the death penalty after the federal judge overseeing the case dismissed on January 30 the charges that made him susceptible to this sentence.