A 36-year-old Minnesota man was arrested Thursday on federal charges after he allegedly posed as an FBI agent and attempted to secure the release of Luigi Mangione from a Brooklyn detention center.
Mark Anderson of Mankato approached the intake area at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn around 6:50 p.m. Wednesday and told jail officers he was an FBI agent with paperwork “signed by a judge” authorizing an inmate’s release, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court.
When officers asked for his credentials, Anderson produced a Minnesota driver’s license, threw numerous documents at staff and claimed to have weapons in his bag, prosecutors said. A search of the bag turned up a barbecue fork and a circular steel blade resembling a pizza cutter wheel.
A law enforcement official confirmed to multiple news outlets that the inmate Anderson sought to free was Mangione, though the criminal complaint does not identify him by name. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Anderson appeared in Brooklyn federal court Thursday afternoon, where Magistrate Judge Taryn Merkl ordered him held without bail, finding him a flight risk and danger to the community. He was not required to enter a plea.
According to court documents and law enforcement sources, Anderson had traveled to New York from Mankato, about 67 miles southwest of Minneapolis, after a job opportunity fell through. He had been working at a pizzeria in the area.
Public records show Anderson has a history of drug and alcohol-related arrests in Minnesota and Wisconsin. In court papers filed last year related to a separate case, Anderson disclosed that he suffers from mental illness and has been ruled “fully disabled” by the Social Security Administration.
Mangione, 27, has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center since his December 2024 arrest in connection with the fatal shooting of Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel. The UnitedHealthcare CEO was gunned down on Dec. 4, 2024, as he walked to his company’s annual investor conference.
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Mangione faces both state and federal murder charges in Thompson’s death. State charges carry the possibility of life in prison, while federal charges could result in the death penalty. He has pleaded not guilty in both cases.
The alleged jailbreak attempt comes at a critical juncture in Mangione’s legal proceedings. Hours before Anderson’s arrest, the Manhattan district attorney’s office urged the judge in Mangione’s state case to set a July 1 trial date. On Friday, Mangione is scheduled to appear in federal court, where the judge is expected to rule on whether prosecutors can seek the death penalty.
Mangione has attracted a following among people frustrated with the health insurance industry. Supporters have regularly appeared at his court hearings wearing green clothing in solidarity with the Mario Bros. character Luigi and carrying signs reading “Free Luigi.”
His defense fund has raised more than $1 million in donations, according to reports. Federal prosecutors have argued in court filings that Mangione poses a threat to public safety because he seeks to influence others to follow his example.
Thompson, 50, was killed outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel. Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting him from behind. Police say the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were written on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase used to criticize how insurers handle claims.
