Prosecutors with the Southern District of New York and defense attorneys for accused assassin Luigi Mangione asked a U.S.judge Tuesday to set a conference Friday morning — prompting speculation that the 28-year-old could agree to a plea deal in his federal case days before he's set to go to trial on state murder charges.The timing could have major implications for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's state case.
New York's double-jeopardy protections previously led Big Apple courts to toss charges against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort after his federal convictions.After similar reports of a potential plea deal emerged earlier this year, Manhattan prosecutors indicated that they could "advise" the federal judge if any potential plea agreement would put the "just outcome" of his state case in jeopardy.LUIGI MANGIONE HEARING SET FOR FRIDAY STIRS PLEA DEAL SPECULATION IN HIS FEDERAL CASELuigi Mangione attends a pre-trial appearance at Manhattan Criminal Court, in New York City, U.S., Aug.11, 2026.
(REUTERS/David Dee Delgado/Pool)"If Luigi Mangione takes a plea federally, then the question is, does this state double jeopardy law get triggered?" said Donna Rotunno, a Chicago-based defense attorney, Fox News contributor and the host of "Crime & Justice."New York has broader double jeopardy laws than the federal government, she said.A federal resolution first could therefore put the state case at risk in a way that a state conviction would not necessarily jeopardize the federal prosecution.PROSECUTORS WARN LUIGI MANGIONE SUPPORTERS MAY INTIMIDATE WITNESSES AND JURORS AT MURDER TRIALUnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson pictured in an undated portrait provided by UnitedHealth.
The executive was shot from behind and killed on his way to an investor conference in New York City in what prosecutors have described as a politically motivated assassination.(AP Photo/UnitedHealth Group via AP)"The prosecutors reached out to Judge Carro via letter back in ...