A man accused of posing as an FBI agent and trying to break Luigi Mangione out of jail with a pizza cutter and a barbecue fork pleaded not guilty to falsely impersonating a government officer in Brooklyn federal court Tuesday.
Federal prosecutors said Mark Anderson, 36, told employees at the Metropolitan Detention Center that he was a federal agent and had papers “signed by a judge” allowing the release of someone in detention, according to a criminal complaint. A law enforcement official who did not give his name because he was not authorized to speak publicly said that person was Mangione.
Anderson threw sheets of paper at jail staff and told them he had weapons, according to the complaint. When officials searched his bag, they found the pizza cutter and barbecue fork. Anderson had been working at Louie and Ernie’s, a popular pizza parlor in the Bronx, according to law enforcement.
Anderson appeared in court wearing a khaki jail uniform and large, black glasses during an arraignment that lasted about five minutes. A judge ordered that he remain in jail, though his defense attorney said he may request bail in the future. He is now being held at the same federal jail in Brooklyn from which he’s accused of trying to free Mangione.
Mangione faces several open charges in the Bronx, including petit larceny and menacing, as well as prior convictions for crimes including aggravated robbery, according to prosecutors and court records.
Mangione is being detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center while he awaits trial on federal stalking charges. Prosecutors have accused him of following UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson to New York City and shooting him to death outside a Midtown hotel. Mangione has pleaded not guilty in the federal case and a separate state case, where he faces murder and weapon charges.
Mangione’s case has captured international attention, with some condemning Thompson’s killing and others praising it as a statement against corporate greed. Mangione has also become an object of public intrigue, both for his alleged actions and his appearance. He is slated to stand trial later this year.
