A Minnesota man has been charged with impersonating an FBI agent after prosecutors say he tried to free accused UnitedHealthcare CEO-killer Luigi Mangione from a federal jail in Brooklyn by falsely claiming he had a judge-signed order to take him into custody.
Federal prosecutors identified the suspect as 36-year-old Mark Anderson and said he arrived at the Metropolitan Detention Center intake area in Brooklyn earlier this month, according to details reported by ABC News.
When Bureau of Prisons officers asked Anderson for law enforcement credentials, prosecutors said he produced only a Minnesota driver’s license and began handing officers paperwork, with the criminal complaint stating that he “displayed and threw at the BOP officers numerous documents,” ABC News reported.
Prosecutors said Anderson then told officers he was armed, prompting a search of his bag that allegedly turned up a barbecue fork and a pizza cutter, items federal authorities cited as part of the basis for his arrest.
Anderson was taken into custody at the jail and charged with impersonating an FBI agent, and prosecutors told ABC News he was expected to make his initial appearance before a federal magistrate judge in Brooklyn.
Mangione, 27, remains jailed without bail while facing both federal and New York state murder charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson, who was shot and killed on a Manhattan sidewalk in December 2024, according to prosecutors.
Authorities have described the killing as an execution-style attack, and federal prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in the case, with a judge expected to rule soon on whether capital punishment will remain an option.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and his attorneys have mounted an aggressive defense, including efforts to suppress evidence recovered during his arrest in Pennsylvania, court records show.
Prosecutors have said police recovered a firearm, a suppressor, and writings they characterize as a manifesto during that arrest, while defense attorneys argue the search violated Mangione’s constitutional rights.
The attempted impersonation has also renewed attention on Minnesota, which has been a frequent backdrop for unrelated national news and unrest in recent months.
Minneapolis and other parts of the state have seen protests tied to policing disputes, immigration enforcement actions, and other high-profile incidents that have drawn scrutiny of law enforcement and public safety across Minnesota.
Federal officials said Anderson’s alleged actions were not coordinated with Mangione and appeared to be an isolated incident, but underscored the heightened security surrounding one of the most closely watched criminal cases in the country.
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