A bizarre and brazen stunt landed a Minnesota man behind bars this week after federal authorities say he attempted to impersonate an FBI agent and secure the release of an accused murderer from a New York City jail.
Mark Anderson, 35, was charged Thursday with impersonating a federal officer after showing up at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn claiming he had a court order authorizing the release of an inmate. A law enforcement source identified that inmate as Luigi Mangione, the man accused of assassinating UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
According to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Anderson arrived at the federal lockup late Wednesday and told Bureau of Prisons staff that he was an FBI agent. When asked to provide credentials, Anderson produced only a Minnesota driver’s license. He also claimed he was in possession of weapons and said he had paperwork “signed by a judge” ordering the release of a specific inmate.
The complaint says Anderson displayed and even threw multiple documents at prison officers, papers that appeared to be related to filing claims against the U.S. Department of Justice. None of the documents authorized the release of any inmate.
A search of Anderson’s backpack uncovered a barbecue fork and a “round steel blade” resembling a pizza cutter, according to court records. No firearms were found, despite his claims.
Man posing as FBI agent fails to break Luigi Mangione out of jailhttps://t.co/jqjDDEBIT0 pic.twitter.com/PXdKV2ScPu
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) January 30, 2026
A law enforcement source told NBC News that Anderson had recently traveled from Minnesota to New York City for a job opportunity that fell through. He had been working at a pizzeria before the arrest, adding another layer of oddity to the case.
A magistrate judge ordered Anderson detained Thursday, citing concerns that he posed a flight risk. He is currently being held at the same Brooklyn detention center where Mangione is housed, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator. Anderson’s court-appointed federal public defender did not respond to requests for comment.
Mangione, 27, has been locked up at the Metropolitan Detention Center since December 2024. Prosecutors allege he ambushed and murdered UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in midtown Manhattan, a killing that stunned the business world and triggered intense political debate.
Mangione faces second-degree murder charges in New York state, along with four federal charges: two counts of stalking, one count of murder, and one count of using a firearm to commit murder. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
In April, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that the federal government would seek the death penalty, calling the killing “an act of political violence” and a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America.”
Federal prosecutors later warned that Mangione poses an ongoing threat to public safety. In an August court filing, they argued he was attempting to influence others to emulate his actions, framing violence as a legitimate political tool.
“Simply put, the defendant hoped to normalize the use of violence to achieve ideological or political objectives,” prosecutors wrote. “Since the murder, certain quarters of the public — who openly identify as acolytes of the defendant — have increasingly begun to view violence as an acceptable, or even necessary, substitute for reasoned political disagreement.”
Despite the gravity of the charges, Mangione has attracted significant public support. His legal defense fund has reportedly raised more than $1 million, fueled largely by donors expressing outrage over the country’s for-profit health care system.
Authorities have not suggested Anderson had any legitimate connection to Mangione’s legal team or family. Instead, prosecutors say his attempt to impersonate a federal agent represents a serious breach of security at a high-profile detention facility — and a stark reminder of the strange and dangerous behavior surrounding one of the most polarizing murder cases in recent memory.
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