The man arrested as part of the investigation into the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson comes from a wealthy and influential family whose patriarch built a real-estate empire in Baltimore.
Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate, was arrested as part of the investigation into the killing of Brian Thompson on Monday. Thompson, 50, was gunned down as he walked to his company’s annual investor conference at the New York Hilton Midtown from a nearby hotel early on Wednesday morning.
As police embarked on a massive manhunt to track down the masked gunman, the shooting ignited a national debate about people’s frustration with health insurance companies and denied claims.
Some viewed the shooter as a “Robin Hood” figure as they railed against executives who profit at the expense of Americans in need of healthcare.
Police said the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose” had been scrawled on the ammunition found near Thompson’s body—a phrase used by lawyers and critics of insurers that delay payments, deny claims and defend their actions in court—adding to the theory that the gunman may have lost a loved one after being denied a health insurance claim.
Mangione suffered from back pain and underwent surgery, according to reports. However, it is not known if he had any problem accessing care.
Pennsylvania Department of Corrections via AP
After police identified Mangione as the person in custody and it emerged that he is a scion of a prominent real-estate family from Maryland, some on social media suggested that his family is far wealthier than Thompson.
Thompson was worth an estimated $43 million, according to The Daily Beast.
He had worked at the giant UnitedHealth Group for 20 years and had led the insurance arm since 2021 after running its Medicare and retirement business. As CEO of the company, his annual compensation was $10.2 million, including salary, bonus and stock options awards, according to The Associated Press.
While it is not clear exactly how much his family is worth, Mangione’s history indicates a privileged upbringing.
He attended the Gilman School, a private prep institution in Baltimore where tuition ranges from $21,235 for pre-kindergarten to $37,690 for high schoolers. He later attended the University of Pennsylvania, graduating cum laude with bachelor’s and master’s degrees, majoring in computer and information science.
Mangione’s late grandfather, Nicholas Mangione, was a self-made multimillionaire real-estate developer who owned country clubs, nursing homes and radio stations, according to The Baltimore Sun.
He and his wife, Mary Mangione, bought the Turf Valley Country Club, now known as Turf Valley Resort, in 1978 with a bank loan and about $750,000 of his own money, The Washington Post reported in 2003.
Over the years, they turned the property into Howard County’s only full-service resort and conference center, with a 220-room hotel, a pro shop, a 10,000-square-foot ballroom, a European-style spa, an 85-seat amphitheater and a fitness center.
They also later bought what would become the Hayfields Country Club and founded a nursing home and assisted living company called Lorien Health Services.
The family also has a long history of supporting hospitals and other institutions in the Baltimore area.
All 37 of Nicholas Mangione’s grandchildren, including Luigi Mangione, were born at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center. The family has contributed more than $1 million to the hospital and its high-risk obstetrics unit bears the Mangione name, according to The Baltimore Banner.
The Mangione Family Foundation has also supported nonprofit healthcare facility the Kennedy Krieger Institute, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center.
Loyola University Maryland has also benefited from the family’s fortune, and a pool at Loyola’s Fitness & Aquatic Center bears the Mangione name. The family funded the acquisition of the St. John’s Bible, on permanent display at the Loyola Notre Dame Library, according to the university.
Mangione’s family issued a statement on Monday saying they were “shocked and devastated.”
“Unfortunately, we cannot comment on news reports regarding Luigi Mangione,” the family said in a statement that was posted on social media by his cousin, Maryland lawmaker Nino Mangione. “We only know what we have read in the media.”
The statement added: “Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest. We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved. We are devastated by this news.”
