Luigi Mangione defense fund raises more than $55,000 in donations
Donations for the legal defense of Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, topped $55,000 Thursday, amid a wave of online support for the suspect that’s shown no signs of cresting.
Started on the crowdfunding website GiveSendGo, the fundraiser was created by a group calling itself “The December 4th Legal Committee,” an apparent reference to the day that Thompson was gunned down in Midtown Manhattan.
“We are not here to celebrate violence, but we do believe in the constitutional right of fair legal representation,” text on the site reads. The campaign has a goal of raising $200,000, and as of Thursday afternoon it had brought in over $56,000.
‘Hot assassin’
Judging from the flood of comments praising Mangione that have been left on social media sites, his emergence as a folk hero boils down to two main factors: anger at the American health care system and Mangione’s good looks.
“Luigi’s actions represent a fierce rejection of a system that profits massively yet doesn’t care about the American people,” an anonymous donor wrote on the crowdfunding site. “Our deaths, our pain, our cries for help are constantly silenced and ignored, as we work multiple jobs just to afford to live. This isn’t about political parties. It’s about CLASS CONSCIOUSNESS. FREE LUIGI.”
“Admiration for the brave and revolutionary Luigi Mangione, who dared to challenge the healthcare system’s injustices and became a voice for the oppressed,” a person identifying themselves as Emiliano GC wrote.
Another message left accompanying a $6 donation by a person who did not leave their real name stated, “Thank you for being brave. Someone had to give the wake up call. Health care should be free and fair, not a financial trap designed to make us sick with stress! Free Luigi! Free universal healthcare for all!”
After New York police circulated a photo of Mangione smiling with his mask lowered, and other photos were circulated of him hiking shirtless in Hawaii, social media was flooded with messages left by users dubbing him “the hot assassin.”
Back problems
Some donors to Mangione’s legal defense fund have also identified with the pain he suffered to do a back condition known as spondylolisthesis.
“As a fellow sufferer of Spondylolisthesis who also has United Healthcare insurance, I empathize with what you’ve gone through that brought you to your current situation,” an anonymous donor who left $20 wrote. “I’ve been denied surgery for almost 2 years. I even had to pay out of pocket for my diagnostic MRI because they said it wasn’t ‘necessary’. Thank you for your courage and sacrifice, which has brought these atrocities to light.”
Mangione reportedly aggravated his back condition when he went surfing in Hawaii in 2022, and underwent surgery in early 2023. Initially, he described in a thread on Reddit how the surgery had left him pain free, but by May of that year, he complained that most doctors were “basically worthless” in a now deleted post on X.
On Thursday, however, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said that Mangione had not been insured by UnitedHealthcare.
“We have no indication that he was ever a client of United Healthcare, but he does make mention that it is the fifth largest corporation in America, which would make it the largest healthcare organization in America. So that’s possibly why he targeted that company,” Kenny said in an interview with NBC New York.
The kindness of strangers
On Tuesday, Mangione’s lawyer Thomas Dickey said that he had received emails offering to help pay him for defending his client but that he was not inclined to accept them.
“To be honest with you, I probably wouldn’t,” Dickey told CNN. “I just don’t feel comfortable about that. So, I don’t know. I haven’t given that much thought.”
While Mangione comes from a wealthy Maryland family, it is unclear whether they will step forward to pay his legal bills.
On the crowdfunding site, the organizers say they will redirect the money raised for Mangione’s defense if he refuses it.
“All proceeds will be sent directly to Luigi or, if he chooses to reject the funds, they will instead be donated to legal funds for other U.S. political prisoners,” the website states without specifying who those other recipients might be.
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Yahoo!News
