Man charged with posing as FBI agent in attempt to free Mangione from jail

A Minnesota man has been charged with impersonating a federal agent after authorities say he tried to enter a federal detention center in Brooklyn to secure the release of Luigi Mangione, according to a criminal complaint.

The charge stems from an incident on Wednesday, when prosecutors say Mark Anderson falsely claimed to be an FBI agent while attempting to gain access to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. The complaint was filed in the Eastern District of New York.

According to the court record, Anderson approached the intake area at the jail and told Bureau of Prisons officers that he was an FBI agent acting under federal authority. Prosecutors say he claimed to possess paperwork “signed by a judge” authorizing the release of a specific inmate from custody.

CNN later reported, citing law enforcement sources, that the inmate Anderson attempted to have released was Luigi Mangione.

When asked to present federal credentials, Anderson showed a Minnesota driver’s license and claimed he possessed weapons, the complaint said. Officers detained him and searched a backpack he was carrying, which prosecutors say contained a large barbecue-style fork and a round steel blade.

Anderson was taken into custody by Bureau of Prisons officers, with New York City police later responding to the scene. An FBI agent arrived and formally assumed custody, according to the filing.

Anderson is charged under a federal statute that makes it a crime to falsely assume or pretend to be an officer or employee acting under the authority of the United States.

Law enforcement sources told CNN that Anderson had traveled to New York for a potential job opportunity that did not materialize and had been working at a pizzeria prior to his arrest.

Mangione is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in connection with the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare Chief Executive Brian Thompson in Manhattan. The case remains pending in both state and federal court.