Man allegedly tried to break Luigi Mangione out of jail by impersonating FBI agent: Sources
A Minnesota man allegedly tried to break Luigi Mangione out of jail in New York, law enforcement sources told ABC News.
Mark Anderson, 36, was charged Thursday with impersonating a federal agent after authorities said he showed up at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn claiming to be an FBI agent with a court order to release Mangione, sources said.
Mangione is being held at MDC-Brooklyn while he awaits federal and state trials for the assassination-style killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024.
Anderson allegedly approached the intake area inside the MDC and claimed he had paperwork "signed by a judge" authorizing the release of a specific inmate, according to the criminal complaint. The complaint does not name Mangione, but law enforcement sources told ABC News that is who Anderson was seeking.
When Bureau of Prisons personnel asked to see Anderson's credentials, federal prosecutors said he showed them a Minnesota driver's license and "threw at the BOP officers numerous documents."
Anderson said he had weapons in his bag, and inside the bag was a barbecue fork and a pizza cutter, according to the criminal complaint.
During a court appearance Thursday, Magistrate Judge Taryn Merkl ordered Anderson detained, deciding he is a risk of flight and danger to the community. Anderson has multiple open criminal cases in the Bronx.
Meanwhile, Mangione is due in court on Friday; the judge overseeing his federal case may decide if the death penalty will remain a sentencing option if he's convicted.
