Prosecutors and defense lawyers in Luigi Mangione's federal case are expected to discuss a possible plea deal during a court conference scheduled for Friday, according to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to ABC News. Neither side is commenting publicly.
Mangione, 26, faces federal and state charges in connection with the 2024 assassination-style killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. He has pleaded not guilty to both sets of charges. His state trial in New York State Supreme Court is scheduled to begin September 8, with his federal trial set for January 5.
Plea negotiations had also taken place before a June hearing, sources said, but no deal was reached at that time.
If Mangione pleads guilty to the federal charges, prosecutors in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office have said they are prepared to push the federal judge for a stiff sentence. In a letter, that office said that if a proposed federal guilty plea would operate to defeat a just outcome in the state prosecution, "the People could advise the federal district court if that consequence, and the court should consider that fact in deciding whether to accept the plea, as well as any opposition by the victim's family to such a resolution."
A federal plea deal could also reopen Mangione's double jeopardy argument. Under the Constitution, defendants cannot be prosecuted twice for the same crime. However, Mangione's situation falls into a recognized exception. The federal government and the state of New York are considered separate sovereigns, meaning each can prosecute the same person for the same acts as though they are distinct crimes.
Mangione's attorneys have raised the double jeopardy argument multiple times without success. Judge Gregory Carro, who oversees the state case, ruled last year that the argument was premature because the federal case had not been resolved. Carro did signal, however, that defense lawyers could raise the issue again if Mangione reached a plea deal before the state trial began.
Mangione raised the argument himself during a February court appearance. When his state trial was scheduled to begin before the federal case concluded, he shouted, "One-plus-one is two -- double jeopardy, by any common-sense definition!"
ABC News legal contributor James Sample offered his assessment of that claim. "He's right that he's being tried twice for one shooting, and he's wrong that the Constitution cares," Sample said.
