The Minnesota man charged with trying to help Luigi Mangione escape from federal jail pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a lone count of impersonating an officer of the United States.
Mark Anderson, 36, went to the Metropolitan Detention Center on Jan. 28 and falsely claimed he was an FBI agent with paperwork signed by a judge that authorized the release of a specific MDC detainee, charging papers say. The inmate in question, a law enforcement source said, was none other than 27-year-old accused healthcare executive assassin Mangione.
Appearing in court with a shaved head and wearing khaki jail fatigues, Anderson entered his not guilty plea through his public defender Michael Weill.
Since his Jan. 28 arrest, Anderson has been detained in the same Brooklyn jail facility. His request to be released pending trial was denied after prosecutors cited an arrest record that has included in recent months brandishing weapons in the Bronx and failing to appear in court, and previous convictions for aggravated robbery, burglary, narcotics, bail jumping, driving under the influence and resisting arrest.
He did not make a bail application at Tuesday’s appearance. Anderson is due to appear in court Friday before a U.S. district judge.
Attempt to #FreeLuigi
Before the alleged attempt to break Mangione out of jail, Anderson had traveled from his home state of Minnesota to New York City for a job opportunity that didn’t pan out, and had since been working at Louie & Ernie’s Pizza in Pelham Bay, a law enforcement source said.
When asked for credentials at the jail in Brooklyn, Anderson presented a Minnesota driver’s license and then said he had weapons on him. In his backpack were a large barbecue fork and pizza cutter, according to court documents.
