More than $50K raised for Luigi Mangione’s defense as Catholic background is revealed
A GiveSendGo campaign has raised more than $50,000 for the legal defense of 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, who was arrested and charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, as others have been yanked offline after raising thousands of dollars to support the Ivy League graduate.
As of Thursday afternoon, the GiveSendGo campaign had raised more than $54,000 of a $200,000 goal.
"This is a preemptive legal fundraiser for the suspect allegedly involved in the shooting of the United Healthcare CEO. We are not here to celebrate violence, but we do believe in the constitutional right of fair legal representation," the campaign organizers note.
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The organizers say they have a mailing address for Mangione and are writing to him to "open a line of communication."
Mangione is currently in custody at the Pennsylvania State Correctional Institution at Huntingdon SCI Huntingdon, the state's oldest continually operating prison, which opened in 1889.
"In future letters, we will send printouts of selected comments from this fundraising page. 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," the GiveSendGo campaign organizers wrote.
Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday after an employee at a McDonald's recognized him and called the police. He was found with fake identification, a weapon like the one seen being used in a video of Thompson's murder, along with a manifesto criticizing the healthcare industry, The New York Times reported.
Thompson had served as the chief executive officer of UnitedHealthcare, the insurance arm of UnitedHealth Group, from April 2021 until his murder on Dec. 4 in Midtown, Manhattan.
On Monday, Mangione's family released a statement offering prayers to Thompson's family and "all involved" in the shooting.
"Unfortunately, we cannot comment on news reports regarding Luigi Mangione. We only know what we have read in the media," Nino Mangione, a cousin of the murder suspect and an elected member of the Maryland House of Delegates, wrote on Facebook. "Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi's arrest. We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson, and we ask people to pray for all involved. We are devastated by this news."
Support for the 26-year-old murder suspect has grown, causing major fundraising site GoFundMe and e-commerce retailer Etsy to pull efforts to support him.
Many of the donors to the GiveSendGo campaign did so anonymously but expressed deep frustration with the healthcare industry while calling Mangione a "hero."
"I was 6 when I was diagnosed with cancer. I watched as my parents suffered under medical bills not covered by insurance. Once we [came] back from treatment to see people in our yard bidding on our house," an anonymous donor who contributed $50 to Mangione's legal defense wrote. "A neighbor had to liquidate their 401(k) to ensure we had a place to sleep. It took mom and dad 20 years of tireless work to get out from under the debt, but I am here now to say you are a hero."
In addition to monetary donations, the GiveSendGo campaign is also accepting prayerful support through a "Pray" button. When that button is clicked, James 5:16 pops up.
"The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective," a translation of the Scripture says.
In a statement responding to the Mangione fundraisers, a spokesperson for GiveSendGo told ABC News the company "operates with a principle of not preemptively determining guilt or innocence."
"Our platform does not adjudicate legal matters or the validity of causes," the spokesperson said. "Instead, we allow campaigns to remain live unless they violate the specific terms outlined in our Terms of Use. Importantly, we do allow campaigns for legal defense funds, as we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to access due process."
The murder suspect, a graduate of the Gilman School, a prestigious boys prep school in North Baltimore, Maryland, also attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied engineering.
While not much has been stated about Mangione's faith, his Italian family has deep ties to the Catholic Church in Baltimore, according to the National Catholic Reporter.
In an April 18 post on X, he lamented the decline of Christianity in the West, noting:" Horror vacui (nature abhors a vacuum). Relevant read, 'Christianity's decline has unleashed terrible new gods.'"
Mangione's paternal grandparents, Nicholas Bernard Mangione Sr. and his wife, Mary, who served on the board of trustees at Loyola University Maryland, reportedly funded the acquisition of the St. John's Bible on permanent display at the Jesuit university's library.
The university's fitness and aquatic center is also named after the 26-year-old's family.
"Loyola is a stronger institution thanks to the transformational ways Mary and her family have contributed to our Jesuit, Catholic university," Brian Oakes, Loyola's vice president for advancement, said when Mary Mangione died in March 2023, according to the report.
"Several of her children and grandchildren earned Loyola degrees," Terrence Sawyer, president of Loyola College, also said.
Mary Mangione, he noted, "believed passionately in the value of Catholic Jesuit education."
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