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Over $75,000 Raised for Mangione’s Legal Defense Using GiveSendGo

Over $75,000 Raised for Mangione’s Legal Defense Using GiveSendGo

A GiveSendGo campaign has raised over $75,000 for the legal defense of Luigi Magnione, the 26-year-old Ivy League graduate charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. As of Friday morning, the online fundraiser raised $75,305 out of its $200,000 goal.

"This is a preemptive legal fundraiser for the suspect allegedly involved in the shooting of the United Healthcare CEO. We are not here to celebrate violence, but we do believe in the constitutional right of fair legal representation,"  the campaign organizers stated.

They added that a mailing address for Mangione has been available and that they are writing to him to "open a line of communication."

"In future letters, we will send printouts of selected comments from this fundraising page. All proceeds will be sent directly to Luigi or, if he chooses to reject the funds, they will instead be donated to legal funds for other U.S political prisoners," the GiveSendGo campaign organizers wrote.

Mangione, who was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania on Monday, is currently being held at the Pennsylvania State Correctional Institution at Huntingdon SCI Huntingdon. On Dec. 4, he shot and killed Thompson in Midtown, Manhattan.

On Monday, Mangione's family released a statement expressing their dismay and extended prayers to Thompson's family and "all involved" in the shooting.

"Unfortunately, we cannot comment on news reports regarding Luigi Mangione. We only know what we have read in the media," Nino Mangione, a cousin of the murder suspect and a Republican member of the Maryland House of Delegates, wrote on Facebook. "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. We are devastated by this news."

According to The Christian Post, the news of Mangione's shooting and subsequent arrest sparked widespread efforts in support of him, including from GoFundMe and e-commerce retailer Etsy. Anonymous donors on GiveSendGo have called Mangione a "hero" while expressing their frustration with the healthcare industry.

"I was 6 when I was diagnosed with cancer. I watched as my parents suffered under medical bills not covered by insurance. Once we [came] back from treatment to see people in our yard bidding on our house," an anonymous donor who contributed $50 to Mangione's legal defense wrote. "A neighbor had to liquidate their 401(k) to ensure we had a place to sleep. It took mom and dad 20 years of tireless work to get out from under the debt, but I am here now to say you are a hero."

The GiveSendGo campaign also takes prayer requests, in which users can click the "pray" button. If done so, the Bible verse James 5:16 pops up on the screen. 

"The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective," a translation of the Scripture says.

Regarding the fundraisers for Mangione, a spokesperson for GiveSendGo told ABC News the company "operates with a principle of not preemptively determining guilt or innocence."

"Our platform does not adjudicate legal matters or the validity of causes," the spokesperson said in a statement. "Instead, we allow campaigns to remain live unless they violate the specific terms outlined in our Terms of Use. Importantly, we do allow campaigns for legal defense funds, as we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to access due process."

According to National Catholic Reporter, the Mangione family has deep ties with the Catholic Church in Baltimore.

In April, Mangione wrote a post on X lamenting the decline of Western Christianity, noting:" Horror vacui (nature abhors a vacuum). Relevant read, 'Christianity's decline has unleashed terrible new gods.'"

His paternal grandparents, Nicholas Bernard Mangione Sr. and his wife, Mary, served on the board of trustees at Loyola University Maryland and reportedly funded the acquisition of the St. John's Bible on permanent display at the Jesuit university's library.

The Mangione family also has the university's fitness and aquatic center named after them.

"Loyola is a stronger institution thanks to the transformational ways Mary and her family have contributed to our Jesuit, Catholic university," Brian Oakes, Loyola's vice president for advancement, said following Mary Mangione's death in March 2023, according to the report.

"Several of her children and grandchildren earned Loyola degrees," Terrence Sawyer, president of Loyola College, also said, noting that Mary "believed passionately in the value of Catholic Jesuit education." 

Photo Credit: ©Instagram/luigi.frm.fiji

Milton QuintanillaMilton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.