NEW YORK, NY – A Minnesota man was arrested after allegedly impersonating an FBI agent and attempting to secure the release of accused healthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione from a federal detention center in New York, authorities said.
Mark Anderson, 35, of Mankato, Minnesota, walked into the Metropolitan Detention Center on Wednesday and told staff he was an FBI agent with court-ordered paperwork authorizing Mangione’s release, according to a federal complaint.
When jail employees asked Anderson for credentials, he presented his Minnesota driver’s license. Officers then searched his backpack and discovered a barbecue fork and a round steel blade resembling a pizza cutter.
FBI agents who reviewed the documents Anderson carried determined they were not judicial orders at all. “I have reviewed those papers and they appear to be related to filing claims against the United States Department of Justice,” an FBI agent wrote in an affidavit filed in the case.
Anderson was taken into custody at the facility and charged with impersonating a federal officer. He appeared in court on Thursday following his arrest.
A law enforcement source familiar with the investigation told reporters that Anderson had recently moved to New York for a job opportunity that fell through. He had been working at a local pizzeria at the time of the alleged jailbreak attempt.
Mangione, who is accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan in December 2024, remains held at the Metropolitan Detention Center awaiting trial. His case has drawn intense public attention, with some supporters expressing sympathy for the accused gunman online.
The incident has raised questions about security protocols at the federal facility, though officials have not commented on whether any procedural changes will be implemented.
Anderson remains in federal custody. Additional details about his motive have not been disclosed.
