A fundraiser set up for Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old man charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4, has raised nearly $100,000 towards his legal fees.
As of 11 a.m. ET on Saturday, the fundraiser, created by a group calling itself the December 4th Legal Committee, had received $94,481 towards a target of $200,000. It is hosted on the crowdfunding website GiveSendGo.
Thompson, 50, was gunned down outside the Hilton in midtown Manhattan by a masked assailant using a silenced weapon, with police saying the killing was likely a “premeditated, preplanned, targeted attack.” Mangione was arrested at a McDonald’s restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday in connection with the killing. He has since pled not guilty to forgery and weapons charges in Pennsylvania, and is fighting extradition to New York where he faces additional charges including murder.
On its fundraiser, the December 4th Legal Committee said: “This is a preemptive legal fundraiser for the suspect allegedly involved in the shooting of the United Healthcare CEO. We are not here to celebrate violence, but we do believe in the constitutional right of fair legal representation.”
It added that if Mangione rejected the money “they will instead be donated to legal funds for other U.S. political prisoners.” Speaking to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, an attorney for the suspected gunman said he “probably won’t” accept the donations.
Newsweek contacted Karen Agnifilo Friedman, a former chief prosecutor at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office who has joined Mangione’s legal team, for comment via email on Saturday outside of regular office hours.
Speaking to Newsweek about Mangione’s fundraiser, Alex Shipley, GiveSendGo’s communications director, said: “GiveSendGo operates with a principle of not preemptively determining guilt or innocence. Our platform does not adjudicate legal matters or the validity of causes.
“Instead, we allow campaigns to remain live unless they violate the specific terms outlined in our Terms of Use. Importantly, we do allow campaigns for legal defense funds, as we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to access due process.”
December 4 Legal Committee spokesperson Sam Beard previously told Newsweek that “to see why this fundraiser is important, simply take a look at all the other crowdfunding campaigns in the U.S.”
He said: “The vast majority are for medical expenses from people in desperate situations, the exact situations that insurance theoretically should protect against. It doesn’t.
“The medical insurance industry is a scheme to profit off pain, sickness and death. It doesn’t work for anyone but the people at the top.”
Speaking to ABC News on Wednesday, New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg described public expressions of sympathy with Mangione’s actions as “abhorrent.”
He said: “I sit across the table from families who’ve had a loved one killed. And to think of people celebrating that…is beyond comprehension to me.”
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro called support for Mangione “deeply disturbing” adding: “In some dark corners, this killer is being hailed as a hero. Hear me on this: He is no hero.”
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