Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York, has accepted almost $300,000 from people who claim to be his fans.
That’s according to a fundraiser on GiveSendGo, which is raising funds to help Mangione pay for his legal defense.
As of Monday at 4 p.m., the fund amassed upwards of $298,000 — and counting. By 6 p.m., it topped $301,000.
While the goal was initially $250,000, it now stands at $500,000.
The December 4 Legal Committee is spearheading the fundraiser. In a post on the GiveSendGo website, the organizers said they connected with Mangione’s attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo, as well as the rest of his legal team.
“In response to hearing about your 10,000+ individual donations, averaging under $30, Karen stated that Luigi ‘very much appreciates the outpouring of support,'” the post noted. “We feel honored to provide supporters with a reliable way to continue contributing to his legal fees through any future donations.”
According to ABC News, Friedman Agnifilo, who is a former chief assistant district attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, said Mangione “plans on utilizing it to fight all three of the unprecedented cases against him.”
Several anonymous donors expressed their emotions about why they chose to make contributions. Many said they are frustrated with the current healthcare system.
“I don’t ever donate to these things, but Luigi did it for us. The least we can do is give him what little we have. Evil only thrives when good men see it and do nothing about it,” one person wrote on GiveSendGo .
“Eat the rich! Socialism is the only way!” another person added.
In the description of the post, the December 4 Legal Committee reminded everyone that “we are not here to celebrate violence, but we do believe in the constitutional right of fair legal representation.”
Mangione was accused of gunning down Thompson outside a New York City hotel as he walked to UnitedHealth Group’s annual investor meeting on Dec. 4.
Several days after the shooting, Mangione was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Penn. The gun found on him matched three shell casings found at the crime scene and his fingerprints matched those investigators found on a water bottle and snack bar wrapper, according to authorities.
Mangione faces federal and state charges in connection with Thompson’s death. He was charged with multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism.
“We are thrilled that the money raised by this campaign will go toward building the strongest possible defense against these insulting charges,”” according to the December 4 Legal Committee.
Most Americans believe health insurance profits and coverage denials share responsibility for the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO — although not as much as the person who pulled the trigger, according to a recent poll.
In a survey from NORC at the University of Chicago, about eight in 10 U.S. adults said the person who committed the killing has “a great deal” or “a moderate amount” of responsibility for the Dec. 4 shooting of Brian Thompson.
Despite the charges against Mangione, some people view him as a heroic figure in the aftermath of his arrest, which gave rise to an outpouring of grievances about insurance companies. Police said the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were scrawled on the ammunition investigators found at the scene, echoing a phrase commonly used to describe insurer tactics to avoid paying claims.
UnitedHealthcare has said Mangione was not a client.
