Luigi Mangione is expected to plead guilty in his federal case during a hearing scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday in Manhattan, according to multiple people familiar with the discussions, though the plans aren't final and could still change before then.

Mangione, accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a Manhattan sidewalk in December 2024, has pleaded not guilty in both a separate state murder case and the federal case. Both sets of charges have narrowed over the past year. U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett threw out the federal murder and firearm charges in January that would have made the death penalty a possibility if he were convicted in that case.

Timing Raises Double-Jeopardy Questions

The expected plea change comes less than a month before Mangione is set to stand trial in the state case, and the timing is no coincidence to legal observers. A guilty plea to the remaining federal charges could complicate the state's prosecution under New York's double jeopardy protections, which generally bar trying someone twice for the same underlying conduct.

THE TIMING ISN'T AN ACCIDENT.

Neither Mangione's attorneys nor federal prosecutors have publicly confirmed the plea deal, and the hearing was described by court-watchers as "hastily scheduled," adding to speculation about what exactly will be announced. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office has not commented on how a federal plea might affect the state's case, which was expected to go to trial within weeks.

The shooting of Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel drew intense national attention, both for its brazenness and for the wave of public sympathy that emerged online for Mangione amid broader anger at health insurers' claim-denial practices.

What's next: If Friday's hearing produces a guilty plea as expected, defense attorneys are likely to immediately move to dismiss or delay the state trial on double-jeopardy grounds — a fight prosecutors are expected to contest.