Luigi Mangione's defense team discussed plea deal in federal case: Sources

Defense attorneys for Luigi Mangione and federal prosecutors in Manhattan discussed a possible guilty plea ahead of a hearing next week, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News Thursday.

The sources said it was not clear how close the two sides came to an agreement before the negotiations stopped.

Mangione pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges after he was arrested for allegedly gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a Midtown Manhattan street in December 2024.

Mangione's state trial is scheduled to begin on Sept. 8 and his federal trial is set for next year.

Mangione, like any criminal defendant, retains the option of changing his plea at any time before, or even during, trial.

Monday's hearing before U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnet is expected to discuss plans for trial, including jury selection.

"The parties write jointly to advise the Court that, at the conference currently scheduled for Monday, June 29, 2026, the parties will be prepared to address any questions the Court may have concerning the parties’ respective proposed juror questionnaires and to discuss matters related to scheduling," the attorneys said in a letter to the court Thursday.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment to ABC News.

Mangione's legal team declined to comment on the status of any plea talks.

"This information attributed to 'anonymous sources' is part of a troubling, deliberate pattern by prosecutors and law enforcement to prejudice Luigi, manipulate public opinion, and violate his constitutional right to a fair trial and impartial jury," Mangione's lead attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said in a statement to ABC News.

"Every defendant in America is presumed innocent until proven guilty, including Luigi, who, unlike any other defendant, has to fight the same charges twice," she added.