An unknown man showed up at a federal detention center in New York with forged documents and improvised weapons, in an attempt to get the man accused of murdering the CEO of UnitedHealthcare out of jail.
Mark Anderson, a 36-year-old pizza worker from Mankato, Minnesota, showed up Wednesday night at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn claiming to be an FBI agent and carrying an alleged court order to release Luigi Mangione, federal authorities confirmed this Thursday.
Anderson was arrested and charged with impersonating a federal agent in what represents one of the strangest episodes linked to the murder case that has polarized the United States since December 2024.
According to the criminal complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, Anderson arrived at the jail's intake area around 6:50 p.m. Wednesday and told uniformed Bureau of Prisons officers that he had paperwork signed by a judge authorizing the release of a specific inmate.
Although the complaint does not identify the inmate by name, a police official with knowledge of the case confirmed on condition of anonymity that it was Mangione.
When the guards asked for his federal credentials, Anderson showed a Minnesota driver's license, threw numerous documents at the officers and claimed to be armed, the complaint states.
Upon searching his backpack, officers found a long barbecue fork and a circular steel blade that resembled a pizza cutter. The documents he had with him appeared to be related to lawsuits filed against the United States Department of Justice.
Anderson had traveled to New York from Mankato, a city located about 107 kilometers southwest of Minneapolis, after a job opportunity that did not pan out. According to authorities, he was working at a pizzeria at the time of his attempted release.
His precise motivations are unknown, although the Mangione case has generated an unusual movement of support among sectors of the American population dissatisfied with the health insurance industry.
The rescue attempt occurred at a critical time for Mangione's legal proceedings. Just hours before Anderson's arrest, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office sent a letter to Judge Gregory Carro requesting that July 1 be set as the start date of the state trial.
This Friday, Mangione will appear in federal court for a conference in his federal case, where Judge Margaret Garnett must soon decide whether prosecutors can seek the death penalty and what evidence they can use against him.
The judicial calendar has become more complex in recent weeks. Last week, Judge Garnett scheduled jury selection for the federal case for Sept. 8, with the main trial scheduled for October or January 2026, depending on whether she is authorized to seek the death penalty.
In September 2025, Judge Carro dismissed two of the most serious charges against Mangione related to terrorism, although he still faces nine charges in the state case and four federal ones. Mangione has pleaded not guilty in both trials.
Luigi Mangione, a University of Pennsylvania graduate from a wealthy Maryland family, is accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4, 2024 on a Manhattan street. Thompson, 50, was walking to a downtown hotel to attend UnitedHealth Group's annual investor conference when he was shot in the back. Surveillance footage captured a masked man shooting at him.
According to police, the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were written on the ammunition used, an apparent reference to tactics insurers use to avoid paying medical claims.
Mangione was arrested five days later at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, approximately 230 miles west of Manhattan, carrying a 3D-printed gun and a notebook with notes critical of the health insurance industry.
The case has generated an unprecedented media phenomenon. Mangione has attracted legions of supporters who regularly attend his court appearances, some wearing green clothing in reference to the video game character Mario Bros., and carrying signs with slogans such as “Free Luigi” and “No to the death penalty for Luigi Mangione.”
A fundraising campaign on GiveSendGo has raised more than $1.3 million for his legal defense, according to data from October 2025.
The Metropolitan Detention Center where Mangione is detained has a notorious reputation. The only federal detention center operating in New York City has been described by federal judges as a place of “barbaric” and “inhumane” conditions.
The facility currently houses approximately 1,300 inmates, including former Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, who face drug trafficking charges, as well as other high-profile figures.
Anderson appeared in federal court in Brooklyn on Thursday. Online court records did not contain information about an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
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