Mangione lawyers allege conflict of interest taints Bondi death-penalty decision

NEW YORK — Luigi Mangione's lawyers contend that Attorney General Pam Bondi's decision to seek the death penalty against him in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was tainted by a conflict of interest, claiming Bondi's prior work as a Ballard Partners lobbyist created a financial and ethical stake in the case. They say the conflict violated Mangione's due process rights and are asking prosecutors be barred from pursuing the death penalty and for some charges to be dismissed. A hearing is scheduled for Jan. 9 to address these objections.

Bondi was a partner at Ballard Partners before directing Manhattan federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in Mangione's federal case, according to the defense filing. Mangione's lawyers argue that Bondi's public statements and actions in support of a capital sentence show she cannot be impartial. They point to Bondi's vow to recuse herself from Ballard-related matters for a year after taking office, a pledge they say she violated by continuing to profit from Ballard's work for UnitedHealth Group through a profit-sharing arrangement and a defined contribution plan administered by Ballard. The filing argues that the person empowered to seek Mangione's death had a financial stake in the case she was prosecuting, constituting a conflict of interest that should have triggered recusal.

The defense notes Bondi publicly described the case as meriting capital punishment, including in social media posts and TV appearances, and argues those remarks tainted the grand jury process that led to Mangione's indictment. They say the combination of her statements, the highly choreographed arrest sequence and broader political discourse surrounding the death penalty may have prejudiced Mangione's rights. Federal prosecutors rejected those claims in earlier filings, saying pretrial publicity—even intense publicity—does not by itself establish a constitutional defect, and that any concerns can be mitigated through careful juror questioning.

Mangione, 27, the Ivy League–educated son of a wealthy Maryland family, was arrested five days after Thompson's death at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, roughly 230 miles west of Manhattan. He has pleaded not guilty to federal and state murder charges. Thompson, 50, was slain Dec. 4, 2024, while walking to UnitedHealth Group's annual investor conference in Manhattan. Surveillance video showed a masked gunman firing from behind, and authorities noted an inscription on ammunition reading delay, deny, and depose—a phrase associated with insurers' efforts to avoid paying claims. Neither the federal nor the state cases has produced a trial date yet; the state charges carry the potential for life in prison, while the federal case makes Mangione eligible for the death penalty if convicted.

The latest filing centers attention on Bondi's ties to Ballard Partners as Mangione's lawyers seek to block the death-penalty pursuit and to suppress evidence obtained in connection with the arrest. They also say they will request materials detailing Bondi's compensation from Ballard, any instructions she may have given Justice Department personnel regarding UnitedHealthcare, and sworn testimony from individuals with firsthand knowledge of the matters.

In parallel, Friday's filing comes a day after a marathon pretrial hearing in Mangione's state case, focusing on whether prosecutors can use evidence gathered during his arrest, including a gun and a notebook allegedly describing intent to harm a health-care executive. Prosecutors urged the court to exclude the defense's broader claims of prejudice and emphasized that the remedy—careful juror selection and trial safeguards—would suffice if needed. A ruling on the defense's motion to bar death-penalty proceedings, dismiss charges, or suppress certain evidence in the federal case is not expected until May, the filing notes indicate.

As proceedings unfold, Mangione's defense team, led by Karen Friedman-Agnifilo and Marc Agnifilo, has pressed for a closer examination of Bondi's ties to Ballard and its relationship with UnitedHealth Group, including any conflicts of interest that could undermine the integrity of the prosecutions. Prosecutors say the defense's arguments amount to a restatement of issues already resolved in prior cases and that the court should not overturn the indictment or preclude a congressionally authorized punishment based on pretrial publicity alone.

The case's next milestones include the Jan. 9 hearing on the conflict-of-interest assertion and, later, a May timeline for a ruling on related motions. In the meantime, Mangione remains in federal custody facing potential capital charges as his lawyers continue to pursue all avenues to challenge the legality of Bondi's involvement and the evidence gathered in both federal and state probes.