:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2)/Luigi-Mangione-102225-2533817099684860bed890e815187f6d.jpg "During His Japan Trip, Luigi Mangione Texted Joke About Paying for a Prostitute with 'Pornstar Pokémon' Cards
By Liam Quinn")
NEED TO KNOW
- Luigi Mangione backpacked across Asia months before he would be charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
- The New York Times detailed Mangione’s travels, which included stops in Japan, Thailand and India
- Mangione at one point reportedly texted a joke about paying for a prostitute with “pornstar Pokémon” cards
Several months before he would be accused of gunning down the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, Luigi Mangione backpacked across Asia.
Mangione is facing state and federal murder charges in connection with the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was fatally shot while walking down the street in Midtown Manhattan in December 2024.
The New York Times reported on Mangione’s travels through Asia, including in Thailand and the mountains of Japan in the spring on 2024.
According to the paper, Mangione made friends overseas and kept in contact with them during his trip.
At one point, Mangione was in Osaka, Japan, and texted his friend a photo, joking that he had attempted to pay a Yakuza boss — an organized crime leader — for a prostitute using “pornstar Pokémon” cards rather than with yen, the Times reported.
Mangione reportedly also told friends that he was seeking a slower pace in Japan’s Nara Mountains, where he hoped to “zen out,” per the paper.
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The Times reported that Mangione, a Maryland native who lived in Hawaii after graduating college, traveled from Japan to Mumbai, India, before returning to the United States.
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Mangione reportedly briefly settled in San Francisco in July, five months before the shooting in New York City.
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Mangione has pleaded not guilty to all the charges he is facing.
Thompson, a Minnesota resident, had been in New York to attend an annual investor conference for UnitedHealthcare. He was the father of two sons.
Federal prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Mangione.
Read the full article here