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Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Ghouls launch legal defense fund for UnitedHealthcare CEO slay suspect Luigi Mangione

 Twisted supporters have raised tens of thousands of dollars toward accused UnitedHealthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione’s defense funds in the shocking Manhattan slaying that left a father of two dead.

Hundreds have flooded a GiveSendGo page dedicated to helping Mangione, 26, after he was busted Monday and charged with the Dec. 4 murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Many anonymous donors on the site hailed Mangione as a “hero” for targeting the man who helped oversee America’s largest private insurer.

An online fundraiser has raised thousands of dollars for alleged UnitedHealth CEO killer Luigi Mangione’s defense.Benjamin B. Braun/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP
The GiveSendGo page has a goal of $200,000 for Mangione’s legal fees.GiveSendGo
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“Luigi poses no danger to society, except to those greedy executives,” one donor wrote, giving $10. “Governors Hochul and Shapiro should pardon him right now!!”

“The violence that needs to be stopped is putting OBSCENE profit above people. This is not capitalism. It is the systematic destruction of the poor to the benefit of the rich,” another $5 donor wrote.

The donation page was created by The December 4th Legal Committee in Stone Harbor, New Jersey, a group that appears to be named after the date when Mangione allegedly shot Thompson outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown.

It’s raised nearly $30,000 as of Wednesday afternoon with a goal of $200,000.

Many of the online donors called Mangione a “hero” for the alleged murder.GiveSendGo

“We are not here to celebrate violence, but we do believe in the constitutional right of fair legal representation,” the group wrote on the fundraiser site.

“All proceeds will be sent directly to Luigi or, if he chooses to reject the funds, they will instead be donated to legal funds for other U.S political prisoners,” they added.

Mangione, who railed against capitalism and corporate greed in a manifesto, hails from a well-to-do family from Towson, Maryland, that owns local resorts, country clubs, nursing homes and even a radio station.

The suspect’s defense lawyer, Thomas Dickey, seemed skeptical about the legal fund and suggested he would not use it out of principle in the case.

Mangione’s lawyer Thomas Dickey suggested in a CNN interview that he would not be using the money raised for his client.CNN
Dickey noted that the donors are exercising their free speech rights by donating to Mangione.Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

When asked by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Monday night why people would donate to his client, Dickey suggested they were probably exercising their freedom of speech while bringing up PACs and the Supreme Court.

“The Supreme Court says all these rich billionaires can give all kinds of money to candidates and that’s free speech. So maybe these people were exercising their right to free speech and saying that’s why they’re supporting my client,” Dickey said.

Thompson, 50, leaves behind a wife and two children.

https://nypost.com/2024/12/11/us-news/luigi-mangiones-legal-fund-donations-net-thousands-after-murder-charge-with-200k-goal/

‘Wanted’ posters with name, photo of UHC CEO Brian Thompson, other execs spotted in NYC

 “Wanted” posters bearing the names and photos of murdered UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and other high-profile heath insurance executives began popping up around Manhattan sometime this week.

Videos shared on social media showed “wanted” signs plastered on scaffolding and green boxes featuring a big red X over Thompson’s face appeared on the corner of Canal Street and Centre Street in Lower Manhattan.

Other posters donned the faces of Optum CEO Heather Cianfrocco and UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty were seen on green scaffolding on Wall Street, according to video.

“Wanted” posters bearing the names and photos of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and other high-profiled heath insurance executives began popping up around Manhattan sometime this week.TikTok / @bbq_lady
“Wanted” posters bearing the names and photos of murdered UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and other high-profile heath insurance executives began popping up around Manhattan.AP
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The posters warn that “HEALTH CARE CEOS SHOULD NOT FEEL SAFE” and include “DENY… DEFEND… DEPOSE” — the three words found on the bullets allegedly shot by Luigi Mangione, who is accused of gunning down Thompson outside a Midtown hotel last week.

The “hit lists” are considered a fear-mongering social media stunt to incite hysteria, sources told The Post, adding that there’s no actual person with a hit list.

Remains of the posters on Canal Street were torn down by noon Wednesday.

Mangione’s manifesto, recovered when he was arrested in Pennsylvania Monday, revealed that he targeted the CEO over his disillusionment with US healthcare and health insurance companies. 

Social media reactions to the brazen assassination have been shockingly sympathetic — leading law enforcement to fear that extremists may consider Mangione a “martyr’’ and pick up his cause, sources told The Post.

Authorities believe corporate executives nationwide may face an “elevated threat” as a result, the sources said.

Mangione’s supporters have already raised tens of thousands of dollars toward his defense funds in the shocking Manhattan slaying that left a father of two dead.

The murder has also spawned a stream of merchandise sympathetic towards the 26-year-old being sold by online retailers, forcing Amazon to pull them from its website.

Gifts like T-shirts, sweatshirts and other goods with “Deny Defend Depose” have been popping up on websites like Amazon, TikTok and Ebay. Other Mangione-themed items with “Free Luigi” written on them have been put up for sale for the killer’s admirers.

https://nypost.com/2024/12/11/us-news/wanted-posters-with-name-photo-of-uhc-ceo-brian-thompson-other-execs-spotted-in-nyc/