Health Insurance Leaders Pressured DOJ To Charge Luigi Mangione

According to reporting by Joe Marino, Ben Kochman and Matt Troutman last week, health insurance leaders pressured the DOJ to make an example of Luigi Mangione by bringing federal charges against him in a surprise announcement that caught his lawyers off guard. If tried in federal court, Mangione could be sentenced to death, silencing any further criticism of the American healthcare system he decried in his manifesto.

According to the Post’s report, “federal charges came amid pressure from health insurance industry leaders to make an example out of Mangione.” The post also writes that the decision to unveil federal charges “came from the top of the DOJ in Washington D.C.”

How and when healthcare industry leaders tried to strong-arm the department of justice remains unclear. But the top three DOJ officials under Attorney General Merrick Garland have all represented massive healthcare companies during their respective stints in private practice before joining the DOJ.

Lisa Monaco, the Deputy U.S. Attorney General previously worked as a partner at the law firm O'Melveny & Myers LLP. At O'Melveny & Myers, Monaco represented Humana–the fifth largest U.S. health insurance company–according to her financial disclosures. Notably, O'Melveny & Myers also successfully defended United Health in a suit brought by United health group insured patients earlier this year.

The number three at DOJ, Acting Associate AG Benjamin Mizer, also represented healthcare and pharmaceutical giant Sanofi-Aventis, among others firms.

Finally, #4 at DOJ, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prolegar, reported Lumos Pharma, Syneos Health, and Amgen, as former clients on her disclosure.