Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty in federal court to stalking charges after admitting he traveled to New York with the plan to shoot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Mangione told the judge he pretended to be a major investor so he could learn the location of an event Thompson was attending. He said he understood his actions would cause fear and that he knew they were illegal. Thompson’s family watched from the courtroom and later said the plea was an important step toward justice. Prosecutors said they will seek the maximum penalty of life in prison when Mangione is sentenced in December. His guilty plea is expected to trigger a legal fight over whether New York state can still prosecute him for murder under double jeopardy rules. Mangione’s lawyers argued that he acted out of frustration with the healthcare system after years of pain from a back injury. He still faces state charges, including second‑degree murder, and a trial is scheduled for September unless the court delays it. Judges have already ruled that a notebook found in his backpack, which detailed his complaints about the insurance industry, can be used as evidence. Authorities also found shell casings at the scene with words like “delay,” “deny,” and “depose” written on them. Mangione was arrested five days after the killing at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania. Federal prosecutors said there was no plea deal and that Mangione pleaded guilty to every count, allowing them to push for the harshest sentence allowed by law.