By Aubrey Rademacher

In the days since 26-year-old Luigi Nicholas Mangione was charged with fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan, misinformation and conspiracy theories have swirled online. The suspect’s affluent background, Ivy League education, alleged manifesto, and sudden emergence as a social media figure have created a fraught information landscape.

Manifesto Misinformation

Shortly after Mangione’s arrest, a purported online “manifesto” attributed to him appeared on Substack.

The images from Substack quickly circulated on X. This particular post has garnered 1.1 million views and is still up.

Substack quickly removed the post for impersonation, and officials made it clear the viral text did not match the handwritten document found on Mangione at the time of his arrest.  A spokesperson for Substack confirmed it had been taken down due to violations of content rules, and the New York Police Department said the authentic evidence referenced health care costs and industry practices, which the phony post did not reflect.

A fact-check by KGW found that the fake Substack account appeared while Mangione was already in custody, undermining claims that he had authored it. Authorities have not publicly released the actual handwritten note, but multiple media outlets reported that the legitimate document included references to “parasitic” corporate behavior in the health care sector.

While some conspiracy theorists speculate about a family-level plot, factual reporting paints a different picture. Mangione’s background was detailed by the Associated Press (Murphy), noting that he came from a prominent Maryland family known for real estate developments and philanthropic activities. He excelled academically, becoming valedictorian at Baltimore’s elite Gilman School and later earning both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Pennsylvania.

Friends described him as intelligent, sociable, and health-conscious, though he reportedly struggled with chronic back pain. There is no credible indication that his family encouraged or conspired in the act. Mangione’s arrest, during which he allegedly possessed a handwritten note, a “ghost gun,” and several fake IDs, shocked relatives who publicly expressed sorrow for Thompson’s family and reiterated their own disbelief.

As authorities traced Mangione’s movements, residents of Maplewood, New Jersey, discovered that a phony ID he reportedly carried listed a non-existent address on their quiet street. 

Neighbors expressed confusion and concern about why their location was linked to someone accused of a high-profile killing. Reporting by The New York Post indicated that local residents were rattled, though officials have not linked the fake address to any broader conspiracy. 

Investigators have not found evidence that Mangione was connected to Maplewood in any meaningful way.

Despite the violent nature of Thompson’s killing, Mangione has found a following online. Memes and social media posts frame him as a challenger to corporate greed in the healthcare system. Analysts told Forbes that public frustration with unequal health care access and mounting costs have led some users to lionize Mangione as a modern “Robin Hood.” 

Viral social media posts went as far as joking about an Alibi. 

This phenomenon is not new. As scholars cited by Forbes explained, American culture has previously romanticized outlaws who appeared to take aim at powerful institutions.

The difference today is the rapid, decentralized echo chamber of social media, where disinformation thrives.

 The BBC reported that Mangione’s background, once defined by privilege and promise, is now central to a narrative of radical action—one that online supporters twist into a crusade against the status quo, even without clear evidence of a broader conspiracy.

A Complex Information Battle

Authorities and media outlets continue to stress the difference between confirmed facts and unsupported claims. Investigators are working to piece together Mangione’s true motives, which appear rooted in anger at the health care system rather than any elaborate conspiracy. 

Commentators caution that adopting Mangione as a symbol against corporate America ignores the death of Thompson, a husband and father, and oversimplifies issues within the healthcare industry. While Mangione awaits trial, officials and media experts urge the public to approach emerging claims with skepticism. Verified information suggests that the alleged shooter acted alone and that widely circulated conspiracies—from the fake manifesto to the notion of secret backers—are grounded more in speculation than reality.

References

Associated Press (Murphy, S.). “Luigi Mangione’s hard turn from wealth and success to murder suspect.” 

BBC News. “Who is Luigi Mangione, the CEO shooting suspect?”

Forbes (Suciu, P.). “Luigi Mangione Has Become A Social Media Folk Hero.”

KGW (Jones, K.). “Online manifesto appearing to be penned by Luigi Mangione is fake.”

New York Post (Janoski, S.). “Residents of a tony NJ town freaked out that the accused CEO assassinated their street on phony ID.”