Prosecutors for the Southern District of New York have denied allegations they eavesdropped on calls between Luigi Mangione and his lawyer.
At an arraignment hearing last week, attorney Karen Agnifilo accused federal prosecutors of listening to a recording of a phone call she had with Mangione.
The judge ordered prosecutors to provide an explanation within one week.
Recorded calls were mistakenly sent, prosecutors say
In a letter filed Tuesday with U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett, federal prosecutors say the Metropolitan Detention Center, where Mangione is being held, regularly records and monitors jail lines.
According to federal prosecutors, Mangione spoke to his attorney on one of those monitored lines instead of a line specially designated for attorney calls, and the phone number Agnifilo was using was not identified as belonging to counsel.
As a result, the detention center sent recordings of those calls to federal prosecutors, who then shared it with the New York County district attorney’s office, court documents read.
A paralegal at the DA’s office who was reviewing the recordings recognized it as an attorney call, stopped listening and told the state’s prosecution team, the letter states.
The state’s prosecution team then notified Agnifilo and a member of the government prosecution team of the error.
“In any event, no member of the federal prosecution team has listened to any recording of any attorney call, and the Government has segregated all recordings of these attorney calls so that they cannot be accessed further,” prosecutors wrote.
Mangione pleads not guilty to murder of Brian Thompson
Mangione, 26, is facing state and federal charges in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel in December.
At his arraignment Friday in federal court, he pleaded not guilty to federal murder and stalking charges. Prosecutors have said they plan to seek the death penalty.
Mangione’s federal trial is expected to start in 2026.
He has also pleaded not guilty to state murder and terrorism charges in New York, along with forgery and weapons charges in Pennsylvania.
Anna Schecter
contributed to this report.
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