A man who identified himself as an FBI agent tried to obtain the release of Luigi Mangione from a federal detention center in Brooklyn on Wednesday night, authorities said, setting off an arrest for the man who allegedly attempted the jailbreak by presenting paperwork and asserting he had authorization to free Mangione.
Authorities said Mark Anderson arrived at the jail intake area at about 6:50 p.m. and told uniformed officers he had a court order authorizing Mangione’s release. The officers asked for federal credentials, and authorities said Anderson showed them a Minnesota driver’s license, threw documents at the officers, and told them he had weapons. After officers searched Anderson’s bag, authorities said they found items described in the criminal complaint as a barbecue fork and a circular steel blade that prosecutors later portrayed as similar to a small pizza cutter wheel.
Federal prosecutors said Anderson was arrested and charged with impersonating a federal officer. A criminal complaint related to the case did not identify the person Anderson attempted to free, but authorities said a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation confirmed it was Mangione. The official spoke on condition of anonymity and was not authorized to be publicly identified, according to the reporting.
Anderson was ordered held without bail after an initial appearance in Brooklyn federal court Thursday, and prosecutors said he was later jailed at the Metropolitan Detention Center, according to federal prison records. Court filings cited by authorities described Anderson as having mental-health-related disability claims and past criminal history, including drug- and alcohol-related arrests and convictions in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The complaint described the documents Anderson said were sufficient to authorize the release. Authorities said Anderson claimed the paperwork was “signed by a judge” and that it authorized the release of a person in custody at the jail. Authorities also said an FBI agent who reviewed the documents prepared the complaint and that the papers appeared related to filing claims against the Justice Department.
Anderson’s driver’s license listed an address in Mankato, Minnesota. Authorities said he moved to New York seeking a job opportunity and later started working at a Bronx pizzeria, which did not last, and that court records indicated he had been living in the city at least since 2023, including periods at motels, a shelter and a Bronx apartment.
In a lawsuit cited by authorities, Anderson said he has “multiple disabilities” and has been ruled by the Social Security Administration to be “fully disabled because of mental illness.” The reporting also said Anderson has filed handwritten lawsuits that have been dismissed, and that at least one lawsuit remains pending involving allegations that a Bronx pizzeria forced him to work 70 hours a week without overtime.
The alleged attempt to free Mangione added a new element to a period of overlapping state and federal cases. On Friday, Mangione was set to appear in federal court for a conference before Judge Margaret Garnett, who is expected to rule soon on whether prosecutors can seek the death penalty and whether they can use certain evidence. Last week, Garnett had set jury selection for Sept. 8, with the rest of the federal trial scheduled for October or January depending on whether prosecutors are allowed to seek the death penalty.
In Mangione’s state case, prosecutors said the Manhattan district attorney’s office sent a letter to Judge Gregory Carro urging a July 1 trial date. The reporting said Mangione has pleaded not guilty in both cases, and that the state charges carry the possibility of life in prison.
Mangione’s case has drawn public attention from supporters who have appeared at court appearances wearing green, and some have carried signs or shirts with slogans including “Free Luigi.” Prosecutors said UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was killed Dec. 4, 2024, as he walked to a midtown Manhattan hotel for UnitedHealth Group’s annual investor conference. Police said surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting him from behind and that investigators found writing on the ammunition that included phrases tied to insurer claim disputes.
Mangione, 27, was arrested five days after Thompson’s killing in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and after proceedings there, authorities said he was brought to New York and held at the Metropolitan Detention Center. The jail also holds former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and federal records and reporting on past detainees described other high-profile inmates.