Mangione’s defense team wants prosecutors barred from seeking the death penalty in the federal case.

Mangione’s defense team wants prosecutors barred from seeking the death penalty in the federal case.

Attorney General Pam Bondi should have recused herself from Luigi Mangione’s federal murder trial over a “profound” conflict of interest, his attorneys have argued.

Bondi used to be a partner at Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm that represents UnitedHealthcare, and continues to profit from her links to the firm, Mangione’s lawyers argued in a filing late Friday.

Mangione, 27, is accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, on the streets of midtown Manhattan last December. He was arrested five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He has pleaded not guilty to both state and federal charges.

    • VinnyDaCat@lemmy.world
      2·
      19 hours ago

      Is this case being prosecuted by the actual AG?

      There’s two cases, and one technically is. One of his cases is at the state level, and the other is at the federal. The AG isn’t directly involved, but they do oversee the one at the federal level.

      In theory as someone else said federal cases belong to “everyone” or the country, the United States. Of course, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t biases or politics being involved.

      Anyways, the AG and DOJs involvement doesn’t amount to as much as people let on. The case was filed under the last administrations DOJ and there’s not much a change in leadership there can change regarding the case. They can change assigned personnel or change the overall approach, such as sentencing or the death penalty, but that’s about it. Bondi did make the push for the death penalty, publicly even, and they’re taking advantage of that, but it’s not entirely unlikely that it wouldn’t have been requested regardless of who was at the helm.