A Minnesota man was arrested and later detained after he faked being an FBI agent and tried to get Luigi Mangione released from jail. Mangione has been detained at Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since Dec. 24 after he allegedly shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The man claimed to be an FBI agent in order to get Luigi Mangione released
Mark Anderson, a 36-year-old man from Mankato, Minnesota, showed up on Wednesday night at the Metropolitan Detention Center, a federal jail. He claimed to be an FBI agent and said he has a court order from a judge to release an inmate, according to a criminal complaint filed on Thursday and as reported by CNBC.
Anderson was asked by Bureau of Prisons personnel for his credential. Per NBC News, he showed them a Minnesota driver’s license and “claimed to be in possession of weapons.” Workers at the detention center found a barbecue fork and a “round steel blade” that looked like a pizza cutter in Anderson’s backpack.
“Anderson also displayed and threw at [Bureau of Prisons] officers numerous documents,” the complaint reads, according to NBC News. “They appear to be related to filing claims against the United States Department of Justice.”
Although Mangione was not named in the complaint, a person in law enforcement confirmed Anderson was indeed referring to Mangione. The person requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, according to CNBC.
The man was arrested and ordered detained by a judge over the incident
Mark Anderson was arrested following the incident. He is being charged with impersonating an FBI agent. On Thursday, Magistrate Judge Taryn Merkl ordered his detainment during a court appearance. Merkl ruled that Anderson poses a flight risk and is a danger to the community, according to ABC News. The man has multiple open criminal cases in the Bronx.
Anderson traveled to New York from Minnesota for a job opportunity that reportedly didn’t pan out. He had since been working at a pizzeria.
Mangione is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center without bail. On Friday, a judge ruled he would no longer face the death penalty after dismissing two of the four federal counts against him, including murder through use of a firearm and a related firearms offense, according to NBC News. Mangione now faces two federal stalking counts, which carry a maximum prison sentence of life without the possibility of parole. The news comes two months before jury selection is scheduled to begin.