Luigi Mangione to Join Diddy in Notorious Brooklyn Jail

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What's New

Luigi Mangione, suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, will be held in Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) Brooklyn—the same New York federal jail as Sean "Diddy" Combs, who awaits a May trial in his sex trafficking case, CNN reports.

Mangione is also being represented by attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo, wife of Combs' attorney Marc Agnifilo. Newsweek has contacted the Agnifilo Intrater Law Firm and MDC Brooklyn via email for comment.

Why It Matters

Mangione, 26, was extradited to Manhattan on Thursday and now faces four federal charges: two counts of stalking, one count of murder through use of a firearm, and a firearms offense, according to a federal complaint unsealed on Thursday. He is accused of killing Thompson in Manhattan on December 4.

Combs, 55, faces federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges. The disgraced music mogul is also the subject of over 20 lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct. Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee is representing 120 plaintiffs against Combs, who maintains his innocence.

What To Know

At the time of publication, Mangione did not appear in a federal prison inmate search. MDC Brooklyn is the only federal jail in New York following the closure of Metropolitan Correctional Center in 2021, where financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein died.

There are 1,121 inmates in MDC Brooklyn, according to its website. The facility accommodates male and female inmates across various security levels and primarily houses those awaiting trial, as well as some inmates serving short sentences.

Combs is being held in the Special Housing Unit (SHU), which is removed from the general jail population. Generally, inmates in the unit are in a cell with one other person, sleeping in a dormitory-style room.

Combs has been denied bail three times despite a proposed $50 million bond package and has stopped his fight to be let out.

Crypto crook Sam Bankman-Fried is serving a 25-year sentence in the SHU at the Brooklyn detention center. It is unclear if Mangione will also be placed in the special unit amid widespread media attention surrounding his case.

MDC Brooklyn is known for its less-than-desirable conditions. Four suicides have occurred there in the last three years. An electrical fire once left inmates without heat for several days. A lawyer for detainee Edwin Corder, who died there from injuries suffered in a fight, told The New York Times that the facility is "an overcrowded, understaffed, and neglected federal jail that is hell on earth."

In September, a spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) told Newsweek in an email, "As a general matter, the FBOP takes seriously our duty to protect all individuals entrusted in our custody, as well as maintain the safety of correctional employees and the community."

"As part of that obligation, we review safety protocols and implement corrective actions when identified as necessary in those reviews to ensure that our mission of operating safe, secure, and humane facilities is fulfilled," the bureau added.

What People Are Saying

Mayor Eric Adams posted to X on Thursday: "Luigi Mangione was brought back to New York City to answer to the charges in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson."

"Those who bring illegal guns to our city will face justice. I want to thank all the individuals and law enforcement who helped bring this suspect into custody. The NYPD stops at nothing to catch criminals."

An attorney said the pace of proceedings in the Mangione case is beyond "unusual" as the suspect arrived in New York on Thursday.

Attorney Brian Buckmire on Thursday discussed the atypical pace of Mangione's proceedings during an appearance on ABC News Live: "In my decade of practicing in the state of New York, specifically in New York City, being able to practice both in New York Criminal Court, Supreme Court, Brooklyn and all over, and also practicing in the Southern District of New York, where Luigi Mangione will be prosecuted, I've never seen things move this quickly."

Following a report that Combs looked "noticeably thinner" in court on Wednesday, a source to Newsweek said via email on Thursday: "Combs is fit, healthy, and fully focused on his defense. He has been very active, remains in good spirits, and, as always, he was happy to see his children."

What Happens Next

The judge in Combs' case has not yet ruled on a motion by the rapper's attorney to reveal the names of his accusers. Prosecutors agreed Wednesday to decide on that by January 3. The next hearing in Combs' sex trafficking case is set for March 17.

Mangione faces charges in three jurisdictions. According to Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks in Pennsylvania, his office's case will remain active but will not address it until Mangione's New York case is resolved.

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