Pizzeria worker with pie cutter tries to bust out Luigi Mangione
A criminal complaint obtained by USA TODAY says that Mark Anderson of Mankato, Minnesota told jail workers that he was an FBI agent and had a court order for Luigi Mangione's release
Amanda Lee MyersA pizzeria worker posing as an FBI agent and armed with a pie cutter is facing federal charges after he tried to bust Luigi Mangione out of jail, according to a criminal complaint obtained by USA TODAY.
Mark Anderson of Mankato, Minnesota, was charged on Jan. 29 with impersonating an FBI agent after he showed up to a federal jail in New York City the night before and said he had a court order to release Mangione, according to the complaint.
When Bureau of Prisons officers at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn asked to see Anderson’s FBI credentials, the complaint says the 36-year-old produced a Minnesota driver’s license, said he was armed and "displayed and threw" numerous documents at the officers.
Officers then searched Anderson’s bag and found a circular steel blade that looked like a small pizza cutter wheel, in addition to a barbecue fork, the complaint said.
The complaint does not identify the inmate whom Anderson was trying to help, but a law enforcement source told USA TODAY that it was Mangione.
The official also said that Anderson had traveled to New York from Mankato, Minnesota, roughly 70 miles southwest of Minneapolis, and was working at a pizzeria.
The official said that Anderson appeared in court on the charge on Jan. 29 and was ordered detained after a magistrate judge found that he is a flight risk and danger to the community.
USA TODAY has reached out to Anderson's attorney to see if he has any comment.
The office of Mangione’s attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Where does Luigi Mangione's case stand?
Mangione, 27, is charged both federally and by New York state in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel on Dec. 4, 2024, in an attack that made global headlines.
Mangione faces nine felony counts in the state case, including second-degree murder. Terrorism-related charges against him were dismissed in September for lack of sufficient evidence. He faces a separate Federal death penalty prosecution, as well as several charges in Pennsylvania.
He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Mangione, a young and attractive Ivy League graduate, has drawn adoration from supporters who show up at all his court hearings carrying signs like "Free Luigi," "Not guilty," and "I am Luigi Mangione."
More about the Metropolitan Detention Center
Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center is an infamous federal facility known for its high-profile guests. People housed at the detention center remain there as they await federal trials, a process that can take months and even years.
Besides Mangione, the facility is housing former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, and Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia, believed to be one of the founders of Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel.
Among other high-profile inmates in the past include Sean "Diddy" Combs, R. Kelly, Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, rappers 6ix9ine and Fetty Wap, and "pharma bro" Martin Shkreli.
Contributing: Christopher Cann and Taijuan Moorman
Amanda Lee Myers is a senior crime reporter who covers breaking news, cold case investigations and the death penalty for USA TODAY. Follow her on X at @amandaleeusat.