Luigi Mangione, accused of fatally shooting the Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, pleaded not guilty on Dec. 23 in a Manhattan courtroom to multiple charges, including murder as an act of terrorism.
Mangione, 26, also faces federal charges of murder and stalking that could carry the death penalty. For the state charges, the maximum sentence is life in prison without parole.
Images appearing to be Mangione’s New York City Police Department (NYPD) mugshot went viral online amid his New York court appearance. Mangione was arrested by Altoona, Pennsylvania, police on Dec. 9 and was extradited to New York on Dec. 19 to face prosecution.
Social media users sharing the image were critical of the NYPD because it appears like it was taken by a professional using “photo shoot lighting.” Others questioned if it is real.
This Threads post says, “NYPD official mug shot ARE WE KIDDING HERE ?!? Does Annie Liebovitz [sic] moonlight for the NYPD ?!?” Leibovitz is a famous portrait photographer.
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THE QUESTION
Is the image of Mangione a real NYPD mugshot?
THE SOURCES
- Statement from the New York Police Department (NYPD)
- Review of NYPD press releases and social media accounts
- 2019 Report to the New York Governor and State Legislature
- Booking photosreleased by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections
- Maria Bivens, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections spokesperson
- VERIFY analysis of the viral fake mugshot
- RevEye, a reverse image search tool
THE ANSWER
No, the image of Mangione is not a real NYPD mugshot.
WHAT WE FOUND
The image circulating as an official NYPD mugshot of Luigi Mangione is fake and was likely created using artificial intelligence (AI).
VERIFY reviewed the NYPD’s social media accounts and website and found no evidence the image was ever posted on official channels. While the NYPD has posted recent images of Mangione, such as his arrival in New York, they have not released any official booking or arrest photos.
“The NYPD does not disseminate arrest photos unless we are attempting to locate an individual,” the department said in an email to VERIFY.
It is unclear if Mangione even had a booking photo taken upon his arrival in New York. A 2019 New York state law prohibits the release of arrest or booking photos unless their disclosure serves as a specific law enforcement purpose. If an NYPD booking photo of Mangione exists, it likely would not have been made public.
The only official booking photos of Mangione released so far were by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections on Dec. 9 and Dec. 10.
Maria Bivens, the spokesperson with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, confirmed to VERIFY that the viral image was not distributed by their department.
Using RevEye, a reverse image search tool, VERIFY found the viral image has never been published by credible news outlets as an official booking photo. It was also not published by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, which is prosecuting the case, or the Department of Justice, which brought the federal charges.
There are clues that suggest the image was generated with AI. For instance, the mole on Mangione’s right cheek is misplaced in the fake image, and the white undershirt disappears entirely on one side of his neck.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.