VERIFYING claims related to Luigi Mangione after his arrest in the UnitedHealthcare CEO killing

Luigi Mangione, 26, has been arrested and charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was fatally shot in New York on Dec. 4. Mangione faces additional charges, including one count of forging a document and criminally possessing a firearm. Authorities arrested Mangione at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania on Dec. 9. 

In the wake of the arrest, various claims related to Mangione emerged online

One image shared across social media appears to show an X post from Burger King, reading, “We don’t snitch.” The image was shared with posts commenting on Mangione’s choice to visit McDonald’s. 

Other social media users claim to have discovered a book review Mangione allegedly wrote for unabomber Ted Kaczynsky’s manifesto.

Additionally, a YouTube video featuring a countdown clock with a description stating “if you see this i’m already under arrest” has been linked to Mangione, with some wondering if it was real.

Others claimed Mangione is related to a Maryland lawmaker with the same last name.

VERIFY fact-checked each of these claims. 

THE SOURCES

• Burger King spokesperson
• Review of Burger King X account
• Goodreads account archives
• Jack Malon, Google’s policy communications manager
• Google impersonator policy and creator responsibility guidelines
• Statement from the Mangione family
• Facebook post from Nino Mangione

Burger King tweeted ‘we don’t snitch’

The viral image of what appears to be an authentic Burger King X post is fake. VERIFY reviewed Burger King’s social media accounts and found no evidence the post ever existed and a spokesperson confirmed it’s not real.

“We can confirm that this did not come from the official Burger King X account. This is a fabricated tweet,” a Burger King spokesperson confirmed to VERIFY.

There are indications the image is fake. The screenshot includes the terms “retweet” and “quote tweets.” But that terminology hasn’t existed on the platform since Elon Musk took over and rebranded Twitter as X. Tweets are now known as “posts.”

Mangione wrote a positive book review of the unabomber’s manifesto

A Goodreads account featuring Mangione’s name and picture that match his other social media accounts does exist, but VERIFY could not independently confirm its authenticity.

Archived versions of the page show the account attributed to Mangione left 52 book ratings and 13 reviews. Among these, the account gave a 4 out of 5 star rating to unabomber Ted Kaczynsky’s manifesto on Jan. 23, 2024.

The Goodreads profile lacks identifying details, such as location, that VERIFY could use to cross-reference and confirm its authenticity. A review of Mangione’s active X account and archived social media profiles reveals no specific references to the books listed on the Goodreads account.

Confirming the authenticity of social media profiles presents significant challenges due to the ease with which spoof accounts can mimic real ones, a Law.com blogpost explains. 

YouTube countdown clock video was connected to Mangione

The YouTube video labeled “The Truth,” featuring a countdown clock and the description, “If you see this I’m already under arrest,” is not connected to Mangione, a Google spokesperson told VERIFY.

Jack Malon, Google’s policy communications manager, stated, “We terminated the channel in question for violating our policies covering impersonation, which prohibit content intended to impersonate another person on YouTube.”

Google confirmed the YouTube account was an imposter by analyzing the channel’s metadata. Updates to the channel name and handle were made after Mangione’s arrest, Malon said. 

Additionally, Malon confirmed that three channels believed to belong to Mangione were removed under Google’s Creator Responsibility Guidelines, which allow for the removal of content or channels if the creator acts maliciously on or off the platform. Examples cited for removal include: 

• Intending to cause malicious harm to others.

• Participating in abuse or violence, demonstrating cruelty, or participating in fraudulent or deceptive behavior that leads to real-world harm.

Malon did not respond to VERIFY’s request for further details on how the three channels were verified as Mangione’s. 

Social media platforms often remove accounts under similar circumstances. Following Mangione’s arrest, Meta disabled his Instagram account. Meanwhile, his X profile was briefly suspended but later reinstated after X owner Elon Musk said he was “looking into” the suspension.

Mangione is related to a Maryland lawmaker

Luigi Mangione’s cousin, Nino Mangione, is a Republican member of Maryland’s House of Delegates, serving Baltimore County. Nino Mangione confirmed the relationship on social media.

Nino Mangione posted a statement to X on behalf of the family that reads, “Unfortunately, we cannot comment on news reports regarding Luigi Mangione. We only know what we have read in the media. Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest. We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved.”

Nino Mangione also cancelled a recent fundraising event, originally scheduled for Dec. 12, writing a “terrible situation involving my cousin” prompted the cancellation.