Mangione is reportedly a welcoming point of contact for new inmates, introducing them to the facility and dispelling their fears
20:44 ET, 28 Oct 2025Updated 20:51 ET, 28 Oct 2025
Luigi Mangione has been charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson(Image: GC Images)
Luigi Mangione, the accused killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is reportedly a “model prisoner” and is known as the “ambassador” to new inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
According to attorney Arthur Aidala, Mangione has become known around the facility for his welcoming treatment of new prisoners as they arrive, helping acclimate them to the prison. “When people get there and they don’t know what the heck is going on, he is kind of the one who welcomes them and and does his best to allay their fears, and you know, kind of shows them the ropes of what life in the Metropolitan Detention Center is like, and what to do — and sometimes, more importantly, what not to do,” Aidala told People.
Mangione faces state and federal charges in connection with the murder of Thompson in December, and has been in prison for 10 months awaiting his trial. He drew equal parts scorn and admiration from the public after his accused crime, rocketing the issue of predatory healthcare practices to the front of the national conversation.
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Aidala in the past has represented figures whose crimes have garnered significant national attention and cultural relevance, such as convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell and sexual assaulter Harvey Weinstein.
He told People that adjusting to Brooklyn prison can be difficult and confusing for new inmates, some of whom “fear the unknown” and have questions about “how to use the bathroom, how to get food and go to the commissary, or even how to get a toothbrush or use the phone.”
Luigi Mangione faces state and federal charges in connection with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
“You know, things that we all take for granted, that changes when you go into a facility where they control your every move. It’s very hard to figure those things out,” he reportedly said.
According to Michael Daddea, Mangione’s temporary cellmate in June, he worked in the prison cleaning showers and was usually running “laps around the unit” or searching for himself in the news.
“Luigi gets the NewYork newspaper every day. . . he would have me help look through some to see if there are articles about him [sic],” Daddea commented on his own video posted to X.
Aidaa said that prisoners and staff at the MDC agree that he has so far exhibited excellent behavior behind bars.
“My understanding is that he is a rule follower, unlike a lot of folks in there. A lot of folks in there, you know, they figure out a way to get in contraband, whether that be drugs or unauthorized cell phones, and things like that. But my understanding is that he’s not like that and he hasn’t been written up for any violations of any sort,” Aidala said.
Mangione will appear in court on Dec. 1 for a hearing on state charges against him, including second-degree murder, for which he pleaded not guilty.