Luigi Mangione is in a New York federal facility on charges of murder and terrorism in connection with the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, will be given a meal of Cornish hen on Christmas, where he is sleeping on a mattress about 1-2 inches thick, a prison consultant familiar with the facility housing the suspect tells PEOPLE.
Mangione is being held at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, a federal facility, on murder and terrorism charges in connection with Thompson’s fatal shooting outside a Manhattan hotel on Dec. 4.
He was arrested in Altoona, Pa., on Dec. 9, and brought to New York on Friday, Dec. 19 after he waived extradition in Pennsylvania.
Since his arrival in New York, Mangione has been in the MDC along with other high-profile individuals like Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is facing a slew of sex crimes charges, as well as Sam Bankman-Fried, who was convicted of financial fraud in November 2023.
Sam Mangel, a prison consultant currently working with other inmates at MDC, spoke to PEOPLE about what Mangione’s Christmas behind bars would look like. Mangel is not working with Mangione; he spoke based on his familiarity with the prison from his other clients, which have included Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro.
Mangel says that Mangione is sleeping on a mattress that’s “2-inches thick at best” with a “little bump in the end for a pillow.”
For Christmas, Mangione will be given a meal of Cornish hen as well as green beans.
Depending on which section he is being housed in, he could either be entirely alone on Christmas day or have some form of company, says Mangel. It wasn’t immediately clear if Mangione has been removed from protective custody, where inmates are initially taken for monitoring purposes upon arriving at the facility.
If he is in protective custody, he will be alone in his cell on Christmas day. His food will be provided to him through a sliding window.
If he has been moved to the unit with high-profile inmates such as Combs and Bankman-Fried, he will be allowed about an hour-long visit from family members on Christmas Day.
“While you’re allowed to hug the person when they come in, you can’t be next to them, you have to face them [when seated],” Mangel says.
Mangione will also be allowed to be with other inmates in the common area, where they can watch sports and play board games.
Inmates often spend their time reminiscing with each other about past Christmases and holidays, per Mangel.
“That’s the only way they can live vicariously through the people still on the outside and through what they remember,” he says.
MDC has been in the spotlight because of its conditions since Combs was taken to the facility, which activists and inmates’ lawyers had previously alleged is rife with violence, overcrowding, power outages and staff shortages, per CNN.
Combs’ lawyer previously said the prison was “not fit for pre-trial detention” and that the conditions were “horrific.”
Mangel tells PEOPLE the healthcare at the facility is “abysmal.”
The Federal Bureau of Prisons did not respond to PEOPLE’s requests about these comments, but previously said they are carrying out an operation in collaboration with other law enforcement agencies to ensure “a safe environment” for inmates and staff.
On Monday, Dec. 23, Mangione pleaded not guilty to New York State murder charges in a Manhattan courtroom.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to the weapons charges he faces in Pennsylvania, and he hasn’t entered a plea to the federal charges.
