Fed Expected to Cut Rates Again Amid Data Gaps and Inflation Contours

Hadisur Rahman, JadeTimes Staff

H. Rahman is a Jadetimes news reporter covering the USA

---

Image Source: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images file

A Manhattan criminal court case intensified on Monday as the second week of a complex pretrial hearing focused on whether key items seized following the arrest of Luigi Mangione were obtained legally and should be excluded from trial. Mangione, 27, is accused in the December 4, 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and faces an array of state and federal charges that could carry the death penalty in federal proceedings.

Lectures from the courtroom revealed a detailed sequence surrounding Mangione’s arrest in Pennsylvania, where authorities say items were recovered from his backpack that authorities described as significant to the case. Altoona Police Officer Christy Wasser testified that she responded to a call about a suspicious person at a McDonald’s on December 9 and retrieved a loaded handgun, a silencer, a magazine wrapped in wet underwear, and a red notebook described in court as a “manifesto.” Additionally, a cellphone, passport, and multiple cards and licenses were recovered during the inventory process.

Video of the arrest, shown to the court, captured Mangione declining to speak with officers, replying that he wished to remain silent when questioned about the bag’s contents. Wasser testified that she believed the backpack could contain a bomb, a concern that framed the initial interactions and subsequent searches.

Prosecutors displayed photographs from the search in which the handgun, magazine, silencer, and the notebook were laid out alongside other personal effects, including identification documents and financial cards. Blair County First Assistant District Attorney Nichole Smith indicated that Mangione had provided a fake identification card, a fact that informed charges connected to forgery and tampering with records. She added that the search warrant provided the legal basis for continued seizure of Mangione’s items and their transfer to New York Police Department authorities for use in the ongoing investigation.

Mangione has been charged with multiple offenses in Pennsylvania, including forgery and carrying a firearm without a license, in addition to broader state and federal charges related to the Thompson case. He has pleaded not guilty to the nine state counts and four federal charges filed against him. The federal charges include the potential for capital punishment, underscoring the severity of the case and the stakes of the ongoing pretrial motions. The proceedings will continue as the court weighs the legality of the evidence and its potential impact on the forthcoming trial.