Federal prosecutors say a Minnesota man posed as an FBI agent in a failed attempt to secure the release of Luigi Mangione, the 27-year-old defendant charged in the killing of a major health-care executive in New York City, as reported by The New York Post.

According to court records, Mark Anderson, 36, arrived at the intake area of the Metropolitan Detention Center shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Anderson allegedly told staff that he had an order “signed by a judge” authorizing Mangione’s release from custody.

Some other interesting details in the NYpost reporting about this Minnesota man Mark Anderson and a picture. I was wondering what he looked like and most of the images that come up when searching his name are of Luigi Mangione. https://t.co/3IC8lRnfrF pic.twitter.com/mJHHMr0PjF

— Karen Orlando (@KarenFOrlando) January 30, 2026

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Mangione is being held without bail at the Brooklyn facility while awaiting trial.

When detention staff asked Anderson to provide credentials, prosecutors say he instead produced a driver’s license from Mankato, Minnesota, and claimed that he had weapons in his bag.

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A subsequent search of the bag turned up a barbecue fork and a “round steel blade” resembling a pizza cutter, according to court papers.

Authorities said Anderson then threw a stack of documents at Bureau of Prisons staff before being taken into custody. The documents were related to lawsuits Anderson allegedly intended to file against the Justice Department.

Anderson was arrested and charged with impersonating a federal agent. At his initial court appearance Thursday afternoon in Brooklyn federal court, he was ordered held without bail.

The ruling means Anderson will remain incarcerated at the same detention complex where Mangione is housed.

During the hearing, Anderson appeared calm and flashed spectators the “peace” sign as he entered the courtroom.

His court-appointed attorney, Michael Weil, told the court that his client is mentally ill and requested that Anderson be released to seek hospital treatment.

“Mr. Anderson obviously needs some sort of treatment,” Weil said.

He also argued that the incident did not amount to a serious jailbreak attempt, telling the judge, “It doesn’t seem like this was a serious attempt to spring a federal inmate. He didn’t have a badge. He didn’t have an FBI-issued weapon.”

U.S. Magistrate Judge Taryn Merkl denied the request and ordered Anderson detained, citing concerns that he posed a flight risk.

The judge also pointed to several recent arrests involving Anderson in the Bronx related to allegedly illegally carrying weapons.

Law enforcement sources said Anderson had recently moved to New York City after a job opportunity fell through and had been working at a Bronx pizza parlor.

The specific business was not identified. Investigators also noted that Anderson had posted a series of erratic messages on his public Facebook page in recent months, including claims that “terror cells” were monitoring him and assertions that he was “assisting” ICE agents in making arrests.

The alleged incident occurred just days before Mangione was scheduled to appear on Friday in Manhattan federal court for a pretrial conference in his high-profile case.

Mangione, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, is charged with fatally shooting Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, on a Midtown Manhattan sidewalk on Dec. 4, 2024.

Mark Anderson was arrested and charged for impersonating a federal officer after allegedly attempting to free Luigi Mangione from prison on Jan. 28, law enforcement sources told CNBC. https://t.co/z3tCN3AfcI pic.twitter.com/OSt0OXhfBV

— E! News (@enews) January 30, 2026

Prosecutors say the killing occurred outside the company’s annual investor conference.

According to prosecutors, Mangione wrote in a notebook about his desire to “wack” Thompson in a targeted attack inspired by what he described as UnitedHealthcare’s “parasitic” practice of denying insurance claims.

Mangione has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

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