Man Who Tried To Free Luigi Mangione With Pizza Cutter Pleads Not Guilty

NEW YORK CITY — A 36-year-old man who tried to break Luigi Mangione out of jail in Brooklyn by attempting to impersonate an FBI agent last month has pleaded not guilty to charges on Tuesday.

Mark Anderson, of Minnesota, plead not guilty to one count of impersonating a federal agent in connection with the Jan. 28 incident.

Anderson is accused of walking into the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn and claimed to be an FBI agent with a court order to release Mangione.

According to ABC News, Anderson claimed to have paperwork authorizing the release of Mangione. When asked by federal authorities to provide credentials, Anderson allegedly showed them his Minnesota driver's license.

He is accused of throwing stacks of papers at BOP officers, who found a barbecue fork and a pizza cutter inside the bag he was carrying. Anderson was promptly taken into custody.

The incident happened before Mangione's appearance in federal court.

Anderson had been working in a pizza parlor in the city before the incident, the New York Post reported.

Mangione is accused of murdering United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown in December 2024 and then leading police on a five-day manhunt.

The 27-year-old also faces charges in Pennsylvania for possessing an illegal gun and giving a fake ID to the police.

Anderson is due back in court on Friday. He faces up to three years in prison if convicted of impersonating an FBI agent.

An investigation remains ongoing.