A man posed as an FBI agent in an attempt to break alleged assassin Luigi Mangione out of federal prison, according to court documents.
The Minnesota man is accused of turning up at a prison in New York on Wednesday as an attempt to bust the 27-year-old out.
Luigi Mangione is being held on murder charges in New York
Luigi Mangione is currently being held in prison without bail in New York as he awaits trial for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Mangione is accused of gunning down Thompson on a street in Manhattan in December 2024.
Now, 36-year-old Mark Anderson, from Mankato, is accused of attempting to free the alleged killer from the Metropolitan Detention Center, according to prosecutors.
It is alleged that Anderson turned up at the notorious prison in Brooklyn claiming to have an order for Mangione’s release.
When questioned for his credentials, he produced a Minnesota driving license.
It is also alleged that he told Bureau of Prisons staff that he had weapons in a bag that he had on his person at the time.
When they checked the bag, it contained a barbecue fork and a circular steel blade, documents filed by the US Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn claim.
The signed complaint from an FBI agent involved reads: “Anderson also displayed and threw at the BOP officers numerous documents,
“I have reviewed those papers and they appear to be related to filing of claims against the United States Department of Justice.”
Charges have now been brought
Anderson has since been charged with impersonating an FBI agent and will appear in federal court on Thursday afternoon in Brooklyn.
It has not been revealed in the complaint which inmate Anderson was allegedly attempting to free, but a law enforcement source told CNBC that it was Mangione.
Anderson had come to New York for a job, but that had come to nothing and he was working in a pizzeria, according to the law enforcement source.
This latest development comes just hours after prosecutors asked a judge to set a trial date for Mangione in July.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including the murder of Thompson.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty if he is found guilty, with a decision on whether that will be a possible outcome expected this week.