Online fundraising for Luigi Mangione, accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has surpassed $187,000, sparking worries he might be becoming a martyr and raising questions about the platform's role.
Mangione's attorney claims he is being used as 'political fodder.' Luigi Mangione on Monday pleaded not guilty to state murder and terror charges in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Supporters of the suspect continued to donate tens of thousands of dollars for a defense fund established for him, leaving law enforcement officials worried Mangione is being turned into a martyr.
Several online defense funds have been created for Mangione by anonymous people, including one on the crowdfunding website GiveSendGo that as of Monday morning had raised over $187,000. The GiveSendGo defense fund for the 26-year-old Mangione was established by an anonymous group calling itself 'The December 4th Legal Committee,' apparently in reference to the day Mangione allegedly ambushed and gunned down Thompson in Midtown Manhattan as the executive walked to his company's shareholders conference at the New York Hilton hotel. 'We are not here to celebrate violence, but we do believe in the constitutional right to fair legal representation,' the anonymous group said in a statement. The crowdfunding campaign prompted donations from thousands of anonymous donors across the country, many of them leaving messages of support for Mangione, including one person who called themselves 'A frustrated citizen' and thanked Mangione for 'sparking the awareness and thought across this sleeping nation.' In a statement to ABC News, a spokesperson for GiveSendGo said 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. 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,' the GiveSendGo spokesperson said
MANGIONE MUNICIPALITY MURDER TERRORISM ONLINE FUNDRAISING
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