Prosecutors defend Pam Bondi's impartiality in Mangione murder case

MANHATTAN (CN) — Federal prosecutors on Wednesday downplayed a purported conflict of interest from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, whom Luigi Mangione claims is treating him unfairly as his high-profile murder case weaves its way through the justice system.

Mangione, who is charged with fatally shooting United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, previously claimed that Bondi should have recused herself from the case since she used to be a partner at a lobbying firm that did work for United Healthcare. But those claims of conflict are “meritless,” the government said in a Wednesday letter, arguing that Bondi has cut all financial ties with Ballard Partners.

“There is nothing in the attorney general’s financial disclosure form that suggests receipt of any ongoing income, distributions, partnership draws or remuneration from Ballard Partners in any form,” prosecutors wrote in a six-page filing, adding that the Bondi merely holds a standard 401(k) account to which Ballard has agreed not to contribute post-separation.

According to the government, that crumbles the claims from Mangione’s team that Bondi has a financial incentive to pursue the death penalty against the 27-year-old.

“Where no present or future financial gain exists, there is no conflict,” prosecutors wrote.

Mangione’s defense team first brought the accusations to light last month, writing in a dismissal motion that Bondi “continues to receive personal benefits from Ballard in the form of a profit-sharing plan from Ballard’s professional association with all of its paying clients, including [United Healthcare].”

His lawyers added that, despite the apparent conflict of interest, Bondi refused to recuse herself from the case and instead announced that prosecutors would be seeking the death penalty against Mangione — even before an indictment was secured.

This is just one example of the prejudicial treatment Mangione claims to have received from Bondi and the Justice Department since his December 2024 arrest.

“Any criminal defendant, let alone one whom the government is trying to kill, is due a criminal process that is untainted by the financial interests of his prosecutors,” his team wrote.

The government argues these accusations are not only “incomplete and misleading,” but also don’t require Bondi’s recusal even if true.

“Any collateral reputational or emotional interest those companies may have in the outcome does not transform them into parties or entities whose fortunes are so intertwined with the attorney general’s personal finances as to trigger a constitutional or ethical duty to recuse,” wrote prosecutors.

They added there’s no proof that Bondi’s purported ties to Ballard played any role in her decision to pursue the death penalty against Mangione. The 27-year-old faces four federal charges for Thompson’s murder: two counts of stalking, a firearms offense and murder through use of a firearm — the charge that makes him eligible for capital punishment.

“There is simply no factual basis for the assertion that outside corporate interests influenced the attorney general’s charging decision in any fashion. The defendant’s insinuations otherwise rest on an inaccurate financial narrative,” prosecutors claim.

The New York Post previously reported that health insurance industry leaders pressured the Justice Department to deter copycat killings by taking the Mangione case. According to prosecutors, Mangione wrote about his disdain for the for-profit health care business in a journal recovered during his arrest. Investigators say they recovered bullets at the crime scene inscribed with the words “deny,” “depose” and “delay” — words commonly associated with descriptions of predatory insurance practices.

Mangione will be face-to-face with prosecutors on Friday for oral arguments on his motion to dismiss some of the federal charges he faces. He is also charged in a parallel state-level case for Thomspon’s murder, which is expected to head to trial first.

In that case, Mangione was initially hit with terrorism charges to meet New York’s mark for first-degree murder; prosecutors claimed that he committed the crime with an intent to intimidate other health care executives or encourage similar acts. But a state judge tossed the terrorism count in September, leaving Mangione to now face a top count of second-degree murder.

Follow @Uebey Follow @uebey.bsky.social