Man arrested after trying to free UnitedHealthcare chief’s alleged killer photo

A 36-year-old man was arrested on January 28 after allegedly posing as an FBI agent in an attempt to secure the release of Luigi Mangione from the Brooklyn jail where he is being held, according to federal court documents and a law enforcement source.

Court filings unsealed on Thursday, January 29, state that the suspect, Mark Anderson, entered the intake area of the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn and claimed he was an FBI agent carrying paperwork “signed by a Judge” authorising the release of a specific inmate in custody at the facility.

A federal law enforcement source told CBS News that the inmate Anderson was trying to free was Mangione, who has been charged with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a Manhattan street in December 2024. The source said Anderson had travelled to New York for a job opportunity that ultimately fell through and has since been working at a pizzeria. He is from Mankato, Minnesota.

When Bureau of Prisons officers asked Anderson to present his credentials, he reportedly showed a Minnesota driver’s license and then claimed that he was carrying weapons, according to the affidavit.

The court filing also said Anderson “displayed and threw at the BOP officers numerous documents” connected to filing claims against the Department of Justice.

A separate law enforcement source told CBS News that Anderson additionally told officers he wanted to be arrested and claimed that the Mexico-based Jalisco New Generation cartel was pursuing him.

Authorities said there is no indication that Mangione was aware of the incident.

After Anderson was detained, officers searched a backpack in his possession and found “a large barbecue-type fork and a round steel blade,” according to the filing. A photo of the items was included in the affidavit. Anderson was then taken into custody and is currently being held in the Metropolitan Detention Centre’s Special Housing Unit, the source added.

Mangione remains in custody awaiting trial for Thompson’s murder. A judge has recently set September 8 as the start date for jury selection.

By Tamilla Hasanova