KUALA LUMPUR — Public donations of more than US$50,00 (RM222,700) have been raised for the legal fees of Luigi Mangione, the alleged assassin of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in the US.
That over 1,500 people have supported Mangione’s defence through the GiveSendGo platform underscores the deep frustrations felt with insurance companies and corporate America amid pay inequalities and huge executive bonuses, media there report.
ABC News said the online crowdfunding initiative was started by an anonymous group calling itself “The December 4th Legal Committee”, in reference to the date Mangione allegedly shot Thompson outside a hotel in Manhattan, New York.
The US broadcaster said a GiveSendGo spokesperson told it that the platform “operates with a principle of not preemptively determining guilt or innocence.”
However, other crowdfunding websites, like GoFundMe, have halted their donations for Mangione’s legal defence in line with its policy not to raise funds for the defence of individuals accused of committing violent crimes.
ABC7 in Los Angeles, meanwhile, reported a billboard erected that said: “Free Luigi Mangione, He’s a Hero”.
Reuters noted his semi-celebrity status on social media and among donors to his legal fund, with some commenters calling Thompson’s killed a “justifiable homicide”.
“Denying healthcare coverage to people is murder, but no one gets charged with that crime,” one donor also wrote.
The newswire also noted the appearance of “Wanted” posters appearing in New York bearing the faces of some corporations’ CEOs, as well as online sales of Mangione merchandise such as t-shirts and hats with messages like “Free Luigi” and “Don’t Deny My Coverage” in reference to medical insurance.
It was reported earlier that at the scene where Thompson was shot dead, bullet shell casing with the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose” written on them were found. Investigators said this could be in reference to “tactics” used by insurance companies to reject claims filed by patients.
Mangione, 26, was arrested in Pennsylvania days after the shooting and was charged on Dec 10 with Thompson’s murder.
The Ivy League graduate had also written a “manifesto” to explain his actions, in which he called insurance companies and corporations “parasites”. – December 13, 2024
