On December 9, 2024, while eating inside a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Luigi Mangione was approached by two fully uniformed, armed police officers. From his corner seat, he had only one way out — to his right. The officers closed in, intentionally positioning themselves to block that only exit, standing within arm’s reach of Luigi. Approximately eight to ten additional officers arrived, further blocked all Luigi’s paths of ingress and egress, and added themselves to the human wall which they effectively detained him with. Without giving any lawful explanation, they immediately began questioning him, issuing commands, and effectively robbing him of his liberty during custodial interrogation without reading Luigi his mandatory Miranda rights, a clear violation of his Fifth Amendment rights — and all based on a mere hunch. The officers also illegally searched and seized his belongings violating his Fourth Amendment rights. No probable cause. No warrant. Just intimidation and control.

Eleven minutes of absent police bodycam footage passed, during which Luigi’s bag was transported in the company of just one officer, and only after which a ghost gun not found in a previous search of the book bag appeared. This is emblematic of the levels of deliberate obfuscation and seemingly corrupt, or at best, incompetent behavior from law enforcement and other government agents involved in this case.

What followed has been nothing short of a disgraceful miscarriage of justice. Upon Luigi’s arrival in New York, the NYPD orchestrated an outrageous media spectacle — a staged perp walk designed to humiliate a young man who had not been convicted of any crime, violating his Fourth Amendment rights. See Lauro v. Charles. From that moment on, Luigi’s constitutional rights have continued to be ignored.

 He has been:

-Shackled at every court hearing, despite his peaceful demeanor and clean disciplinary record, violating his Fourteenth Amendment Due Process rights. See People v. Hamlett; see also United States v. Sanchez-Gomez; see also People v. Best; see also People v. Sanders.

 -Denied his legal right to appear in person at his Pennsylvania suppression hearing — instead being coerced to attend virtually by NY prosecutors, disrupting his right to the ability to participate in his own defense. By only attending virtually, he would have limited access to his lawyers and no privacy, in violation of his constitutional rights under the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. See Lewis v. United States; see also Brinlee v. Crisp; see also Commonwealth v. McLaurin.

-Treated as guilty before a trial has even begun, in violation of the presumption of innocence and constitutional right to a fair trial.

In refusing to provide Luigi and his defense council with an informational outline concerning the statutory and non-statutory aggravating factors that it intends to prove at a capital-sentencing phase of his trial to support a death sentence, the government violates his Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendment rights. See Defendant’s Motion for Informational Outline of Certain Aggravating Factors, United States v. Mangione. Meanwhile, the Mayor of New York City appeared in a televised documentary, discussing Luigi’s case and disclosing alleged evidence — before Luigi’s legal team had even been granted access to it. He even publicly speculated on theories of the case. This is not justice — this is a trial by media.

Despite the so-called evidence originating in Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania case has been inexplicably delayed and deprioritized, while New York and the federal government have aggressively pursued prosecution. Why? The arresting state legally has primary jurisdiction, Why hasn’t the state where all this began been allowed to lead? On February 21, 2025, Luigi’s Pennsylvania attorney, Thomas Dickey, personally delivered a comprehensive pretrial motion for relief to District Attorney Peter J. Weeks and the Honorable Judge Jackie A. Bernard at the Blair County Courthouse. Only now, nearly six months later, and only through the legal compulsion of Luigi’s PA lawyer, have the PA court issued a Writ for Habeas Corpus to the SDNY who, thus far, continue to evade this possibility. What is the hold-up?

Let us be clear: Luigi Mangione does not consent to a virtual hearing. There is no legitimate reason why he should not be present in-person at his Pennsylvania hearing. Most disturbing of all: while the Department of Justice dropped federal corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams in an apparent quid quo pro deal with Donald Trump, it has now directed prosecutors to seek the death penalty against Luigi Mangione. In fact, the day after Attorney General Pam Bondi directed the Department of Justice to kill Luigi Mangione, Eric Adams’ federal corruption case was dismissed with prejudice, meaning his charges are gone forever. Let that sink in. The same DOJ that protects powerful politicians is trying to end the life of a young man whose rights have already been repeatedly violated. For transparency, and the media's and public's First Amendment rights, Luigi has consented to his court appearances being both photographed and broadcast via video. Will the courts utilise this opportunity to be visible to the people whose interests it claims to serve and in whose name it seeks to try Luigi Mangione? This case has been mishandled at every level. And after everything that’s been done to Luigi, how can we trust these institutions to now deliver justice?

As citizens of the United States and constituents of Pennsylvania, we demand:

 -A formal investigation by Governor Josh Shapiro into the Altoona Police Department’s actions on December 9, 2024.

-That Luigi Mangione be immediately granted habeas corpus ad prosequendum — the foundational right that protects against unlawful detention.

-That Luigi be permitted to attend all Pennsylvania court proceedings in-person.

-That the federal government cease its unconstitutional and politically-driven prosecution of Luigi Mangione.

The Constitution is not optional. The rights of the accused are not suggestions. And Luigi Mangione deserves fair treatment under the law — not persecution, not spectacle, and certainly not execution.

100,000 signatures demands a federal response. We won’t stop until justice is served. Let’s go.

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What Is a Writ of Habeas Corpus Ad Prosequendum? Under Pennsylvania law, a writ of habeas corpus ad prosequendum is defined as: “A writ that orders the transfer of a person to be brought before a judge in a different jurisdiction than where they are currently in custody in order to face other charges in the new jurisdiction, allowing the defendant to be physically present in mounting their own defense” This is not optional, not symbolic, and not subject to political discretion. It is a constitutional right, guaranteed under both Pennsylvania and United States law. Unless the Constitution has been suspended — which it has not — Luigi Mangione is entitled to be brought before a judge to be physically present to hear the proceedings, discuss things with his attorney and participate in his defense. The continued denial of this right is not only unlawful, it is un-American.