Not even in his wildest dreams of being promoted to shift manager, the alleged murderer of the CEO of the insurance company UnitedHealthcare, did he imagine that he would end up being the hero of the week. Although the fact of having called 911 to collaborate in the search for the detained young man has a price: collecting a reward that, however, will not be collected as quickly as the food that comes out of the kitchen of the famous restaurant.
The FBI and the program Crime Stoppersan initiative to encourage citizen collaboration that operates in several cities in the United States, have promised up to a $60,000 reward to anyone who provides information on the whereabouts of Luigi Mangione. As the McDonald’s worker, who remains anonymous, did when three days ago he picked up the phone at the restaurant in the city of Altoona, Pennsylvania, to call 911 to inform them that, on his shift, he had just served the suspect. arrested.
Although his call was crucial to the arrest of Luigi Mangione, it is not so clear that the McDonald’s employee will collect the entire promised reward. Between taxes and the bureaucratic tangle you must go through, the final reward may end up being as juicy as a salad from the children’s menu. Furthermore, according to the rules, for the payment process to begin there must first be a conviction and with Mangione still fighting to not be extradited to New York, it could take a while longer before someone signs the check.
According to the New York police, during the five days that the siege on the suspected crime lasted, more than 400 calls were received, of which only 30 were useful. So the McDonald’s worker has some competition. Of course, neither the FBI nor the authorities have revealed whether the employee’s call was the definitive one or just another piece of the puzzle.
The McDonald’s restaurant where Luigi Mangione, the young man accused of murdering the CEO of the insurance company UnitedHealth, was arrested.
Mangione fan club raises thousands of dollars
In a twist that the case of this high-profile murder and the arrest of Luigi Mangione has given, a large group of followers of the young detainee not only applaud what he has done but have also come together to help him financially. Through the platform GiveSendGohis fans have so far managed to raise more than $50,783 with one goal: to reach the $200,000 that his legal defense costs.
The fundraiser, active since the day of his arrest on December 9, in Pennsylvania, has received a flood of donations, as well as hundreds of messages of support in which they fiercely criticize insurance companies in the United States. “We are not here to celebrate violence, but we believe in the constitutional right to fair legal representation,” reads the campaign text.
Among the contributions, many of them anonymous, you can read comments that relate personal experiences with the American health system and harsh criticism of it. An anonymous donor recalls his story: “My brother died of cancer while begging his insurance company for care that never came. He paid more than $1,500 a month.” Another, who signs his post as a doctor, states this about what happened in New York: “I applaud Luigi for his courage. “The system is designed to crush people on the streets.”
The campaign message also includes a brief letter addressed to Mangione himself, informing him of the fundraising and emphasizing the collective rejection that exists towards the health system. The account adds that, if the young detainee decided not to accept the money, it would go to “other political prisoners in the United States.”
The New York Police believe that Mangione, 26, was able to act out of his “debilitating” back pain and an “anti-corporatist mentality” in relation to the country’s health system. Last Monday, after the 911 call from the McDonald’s worker, he was arrested at the Pennsylvania restaurant, where he is in custody without bail while his extradition to New York is being processed.
