Luigi Mangione was allegedly overwhelmed by seven transgender ladies generally referred to in Thailand as “ladyboys” in a Bangkok intercourse bar after a $1,500 dispute — months earlier than he was accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan, in response to a brand new ebook.
The alleged bar brawl, described in a self-published ebook titled “Final Identified Contact: The Untold Story of Luigi Mangione,” provides a brand new twist to the accused murderer’s chaotic travels throughout Asia in 2024.
The nameless creator claims to have met Mangione whereas backpacking in Thailand and says the Ivy League graduate shared messages and images describing the melee, in response to excerpts revealed by DailyMail.com.
Mangione, 27, and a gaggle of recent pals had stopped into what the creator known as an “notorious intercourse bar” in Bangkok’s red-light district once they have been offered with a tab roughly equal to $1,500 after ingesting solely a few beers.
When the boys questioned the inflated invoice, they have been surrounded and attacked by as many as seven ladyboys, the ebook claims.
Mangione reportedly escaped with scratches and bruises and later boasted in regards to the encounter over WhatsApp, texting: “Lol not a ladyboy. Extra like 7 ladyboys.”
The creator stated he didn’t witness the brawl firsthand however included screenshots of the messages and a photograph of Mangione’s accidents.
The Put up has not independently verified the authenticity of the ebook or the alleged correspondence. Mangione’s lawyer was not instantly obtainable for remark.
The brand new claims develop on a report by the New York Occasions, which first revealed Mangione’s personal description of being “overwhelmed up by seven ‘ladyboys’” in a message to pals earlier this yr.
The Occasions stated it reviewed the identical WhatsApp exchanges and a photograph of his scratched arm.
Christian Sacchini, an expert soccer participant who met Mangione at a Bangkok pub in March 2024, informed the Occasions the Maryland native spoke enthusiastically about video video games and Pokémon earlier than launching right into a rant about how “effed up” the US well being care system was in comparison with Thailand’s.
Mangione, a College of Pennsylvania graduate, later informed pals he needed to “meditate” and “do some writing” in Japan’s distant Nara Mountains.
Juntaro Mihara, who owns a small guesthouse in Tenkawa the place Mangione stayed six days, stated he was quiet and prevented utilizing digital gadgets.
“He solely had minimal crucial conversations with different visitors or perhaps didn’t discuss with anybody,” Mihara informed the Occasions.
In line with diaries later seized by prosecutors, Mangione’s tone darkened after returning to the US in July 2024. In a single entry from August, he wrote that he felt “foggy” however “assured” about taking motion towards what he known as injustice within the well being care system.
“I lastly really feel assured about what I’ll do,” he wrote, in response to the Occasions.
“The small print are lastly coming collectively. And I don’t really feel any doubt about whether or not it’s proper/justified. I’m glad — in a method — that I’ve procrastinated, bc it allowed me to study extra about UHC. The goal is insurance coverage. It checks each field.”
Authorities say Mangione shot Thompson, 50, outdoors the Hilton Resort in Midtown Manhattan on Dec. 4, 2024, as the chief attended the insurer’s annual investor convention.
Police recovered shell casings etched with the phrases “delay,” “deny” and “depose” — phrases related to insurance coverage declare practices.
Mangione was arrested 5 days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa., following a multistate manhunt.
Mangione was allegedly carrying a 3D-printed handgun, a suppressor, a faux ID and a handwritten 262-word manifesto attacking the US well being care business, DailyMail.com reported, citing unnamed sources.
These particulars haven’t been confirmed by prosecutors.
A rep for Mangione denied the claims.
“Quite a few statements about Luigi circulating on-line and within the media have been stuffed with deceptive characterizations and outright lies. These fabricated claims come from opportunistic people who’re in search of to advertise themselves at Mr. Mangione’s expense.
“This represents a part of a longstanding sample of individuals in search of to grift off the eye on Luigi by making an attempt to talk on his behalf, unfold beliefs he doesn’t share, and malign him typically, throughout a time when he can not communicate for himself,” the rep added.
The accused killer has pleaded not responsible to state and federal homicide and stalking prices. Federal prosecutors are in search of the loss of life penalty.
Mangione has gained a small on-line following of supporters who describe his crime as a type of protest, although regulation enforcement officers have condemned the rhetoric as harmful.
He stays held with out bail and is due again in federal court docket Dec. 5.
