Mangione’s return to Blair County for hearing blocked by US Attorney in New York
US Attorney denies Blair judge’s order seeking suspect’s pre-trial appearance
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HOLLIDAYSBURG -- The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York has denied a Blair County judge's orders seeking Luigi Mangione's release into the custody of local law enforcement for pre-trial litigation in November, according to court documents filed Wednesday.
In Blair County, Mangione, 27, is facing felony counts of forgery and firearms not to be carried without a license, as well as misdemeanor counts of tampering with records, possession of an instrument of crime with intent and false identification to a law enforcement officer, while in New York he is charged with homicide and related offenses.
Court documents cite the costs and logistics of both transporting and housing Mangione being significantly greater than a typical inmate due to the "intense media and public attention" surrounding his New York case as the primary reasons for denying Judge Jackie Atherton Bernard's requests for his in-person appearance in Blair County court.
They also noted "significant security concerns" regarding Mangione's custody, transportation and prosecution due to "threats received by the criminal justice system."
Following the delivery of Bernard's orders on Sept. 8, the Blair County District Attorney's Office was notified of the orders' denial via email on Sept. 10 by Sheena Wills, data analyst for the U.S. Attorney for the SDNY.
Blair County District Attorney Pete Weeks and First Assistant District Attorney Nichole Smith asked Bernard to acknowledge Mangione's unavailability for in-person court proceedings, "unless Mangione elects to appear via video conferencing."
Mangione is scheduled for an omni pre-trial motion hearing on Nov. 7 at the Blair County Courthouse. Through his Blair County defense attorney Thomas Dickey, Mangione has repeatedly chosen not to waive his right to be physically present for his Pennsylvania court proceedings.
According to Bernard's orders, Dickey has 14 days from Sept. 10 -- when he was notified of her orders' denial -- to object or consent to Mangione's remote participation in the Nov. 7 hearing.
Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor-Musselman is at 814-946-7458.