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Minnesota Man Arrested for FBI Impersonation Attempt
A Minnesota man was arrested in Brooklyn for impersonating an FBI agent in an attempt to free the accused killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Supporters of Luigi Mangione hold signs outside Manhattan federal court, 9 January, 2026 AP Photo
A Minnesota man was arrested Wednesday night at a New York federal jail after allegedly claiming to be an FBI agent and asserting he had a court order to release an inmate, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday. The inmate in question is Luigi Mangione, who is accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024.
The suspect, 36-year-old Mark Anderson of Mankato, Minnesota, reportedly presented a Minnesota driver’s license when Bureau of Prisons personnel at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn requested his credentials. Anderson allegedly told officers he was carrying weapons in a bag, which contained a barbecue fork and a circular steel blade resembling a pizza cutter, according to prosecutors.
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“Anderson also displayed and threw at the BOP officers numerous documents,” the criminal complaint, signed by an FBI agent, stated. “I have reviewed those papers, and they appear to be related to filing of claims against the United States Department of Justice.”
Anderson is facing charges of impersonating an FBI agent and is scheduled to appear Thursday afternoon in Brooklyn federal court. While the complaint does not identify the inmate by name, a law enforcement official confirmed that Anderson allegedly sought to free 27-year-old Mangione, who is being held without bail.
According to authorities, Anderson had traveled to New York City for a job opportunity that fell through and had been working in a pizzeria prior to the incident.
Mangione, meanwhile, is facing multiple criminal charges in both state and federal court in connection with the December 4, 2024, killing of Thompson, a Minnesota resident and CEO of the nation’s largest private health insurer. Prosecutors in Manhattan Supreme Court on Wednesday urged a judge to set Mangione’s murder trial for July, two months before jury selection is scheduled to begin in the federal case.
Prosecutors allege Mangione stalked Thompson and fatally shot him outside a midtown Manhattan hotel where the CEO was attending a UnitedHealth Group investors’ event. Mangione was arrested five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He has pleaded not guilty in both state and federal cases.
Federal prosecutors are seeking the death penalty if Mangione is convicted in the federal case, and a judge could rule this week on whether he will face a potential death sentence.
Editor’s Note:
This case highlights the lengths individuals may go to interfere with high-profile criminal proceedings, underscoring the importance of strict security protocols in federal detention facilities.
