Category: National

(WASHINGTON) — Alexander Smirnov, the former FBI informant charged with lying about President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden’s business dealings, has reached a plea deal with prosecutors from special counsel David Weiss’ office, according to court filing Thursday.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

 

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(NEW YORK) — A week after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed in New York, the health insurer’s parent company is praising him as “one of the good guys” and seeking to both console employees and reassure them that their work makes a difference.

In a message to the company’s nearly 400,000 employees, Andrew Witty, the CEO of UnitedHealth Group — UnitedHealthcare’s parent company — confirmed Thompson was laid to rest on Monday and that colleagues gathered in Minnesota on Tuesday for a memorial.

“I know this has been an extraordinarily difficult week,” Witty said in the letter, obtained by ABC News. “Our company remains in a state of mourning.”

Referring to Thompson, 50, who had led the world’s largest health insurer since 2021, Witty said: “It was a life lived to the absolute fullest. And a life that helped make a profoundly positive impact on the lives of so many people. People he never saw. People he never met. People who never knew him. But people Brian cared so deeply about.”

He added: “Brian was one of the good guys. He was certainly one of the smartest guys. I think he was one of the best guys. I’m going to miss him. And I am incredibly proud to call him my friend.”

Thompson’s killing thrust the nation’s health care industry into the spotlight.

When suspect Luigi Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, earlier this week, investigators discovered he had writings with him that criticized health care companies.

A bulletin from the New York Police Department warned of heightened risks to health care executives in the wake of the shooting, citing social media posts that expressed frustration with the health insurance industry and celebrated Thompson’s death.

Witty’s letter to employees said the best way to remember Thompson “is to carry on his legacy — continuing to do right by the people who’ve entrusted us with their care and those who are counting on us to take care of their loved ones.”

The letter added: “We owe it to Brian to make good on our promise to make health care work better for everybody, in every way.”

Witty’s letter also shared messages of support from people who shared their sympathies and described how UnitedHealthcare had helped them. He said the company has received thousands of phone calls, text messages, comments and emails offering condolences and gratitude.

“I am super proud to be a part of an organization that does so much good for so many and to have the opportunity to work alongside some of the most compassionate, most dedicated and truly brilliant people in health care,” Witty said in the letter. “I hope you feel that, too.”

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(VICTORIA, Texas) — A small plane crashed into three vehicles Wednesday afternoon on a roadway in Victoria, Texas.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the twin-engine Piper PA-31 crashed around 3:00 p.m. local time.

Only the pilot was on board the plane at the time of the crash.

In a video posted on Facebook, which showed the wreckage, the Victoria Police Department said there had been three vehicles and one airplane involved in the crash.

The condition of the vehicles’ occupants is unknown at this time, according to the police department.

“Preliminary information indicates the plane landed on a roadway and struck multiple vehicles,” the National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement.

The FAA and the NTSB will investigate the incident.

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(NEW YORK) — The Pentagon shot down a congressman’s claim that an Iranian “mothership” is behind large drones spotted over New Jersey in recent weeks, while officials in the state are demanding a stronger federal response and transparency in connection with the mysterious, unexplained sightings.

Since mid-November, large drones of uncertain origin have been repeatedly spotted in the sky at night over central and northern New Jersey, including near a military installation.

State and local officials convened at a closed-door meeting Wednesday morning at the New Jersey State Police headquarters with representatives from the Department of Homeland Security to address the matter, according to several officials in attendance.

It remains unclear who is operating the drones, according to a DHS handout released by Montvale Mayor Mike Ghassali, who attended the meeting.

“At this time, according to the FBI, there are no known specific or credible threats related to these sightings,” the handout stated.

There have been reports ranging from four to 180 sightings per night, according to New Jersey Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia, who attended the meeting. The drones “operate in a coordinated manner” and have not been identified as hobbyist drones or ones related to DHS, she said.

Several officials said following the meeting that they were not assuaged by the DHS response.

Ghassali said it has only “heightened my apprehensions regarding the federal government’s approach to this critical issue.”

“The message conveyed was that there is no credible threat, yet they are flying over critical infrastructure, and their point of origin and destination remain unidentified,” he said in a statement. “They will eventually find out but for now, we don’t know anything else.”

New Jersey state Sen. Holly Schepisi called the DHS response “abysmal.”

“[It] actually made me feel less confident in our federal government’s reaction to this issue rather than more,” she said in a statement. “For the federal government to not dedicate every defense resource needed to identify the origin and purpose of these drones in the most densely populated state in the nation is inexplicable and completely unacceptable.”

Fantasia said “we know nothing” and to “state that there is no known or credible threat is incredibly misleading, and I informed all officials of that sentiment.”

Following the meeting, New Jersey state Sen. Jon Bramnick urged the Department of Defense to investigate and reiterated his call for a limited state of emergency in the state.

“The Department of Defense must investigate and until that occurs we must shut down the airspace to drones. That would require a limited state of emergency and FAA cooperation,” he said in a statement.

A spokesperson for the FBI, which is the leading agency investigating the sightings, said it is “doing all we can [to] figure out what’s going on.”

“The public can continue to call our 800 line, or submit a tip online, we are acting on every substantive lead that we get,” the FBI spokesperson said.

The Federal Aviation Administration has imposed flight restrictions over Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County and Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in Somerset County in response to the drone activity.

“Safely integrating drones into the National Airspace System is a key priority for the FAA,” the agency said in a statement earlier this month. “We look into all reports of unauthorized drone operations and investigate when appropriate.”

New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew criticized the FAA for its inability to locate the drones during a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s hearing earlier Wednesday.

“We have a serious problem with our aerospace. The recent sightings of unidentified drones in the state of New Jersey, my home state, is justifiably causing tremendous public concern,” he said.

Van Drew said the drones are “large” and “sophisticated” and alleged the presence of an “Iranian mothership” responsible for them, though he did not provide evidence to support his claims.

“I’ve learned, for real, that there is circumstantial evidence that there’s an Iranian mothership off the East Coast of the United States, and that’s launching these drone incursions,” he said.

He said he is concerned at this time with identifying his sources but said they are “individuals who are reputable, individuals who speak with authority.”

The Pentagon shot down Van Drew’s claim.

“There is not any truth to that — there is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States, and there’s no so-called mothership launching drones towards the United States,” deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters Wednesday.

Singh said there is no evidence the drone activity is coming from any foreign entity or is the work of an adversary.

“We’re going to continue to monitor what is happening,” she said, adding, “At no point were our installations threatened when this activity was occurring.”

Van Drew doubled down in an interview with ABC News following the Pentagon’s briefing, saying there is a “real possibility that it is a foreign entity.” He said his “well-placed” sources believe there is a possibility the drones are Iranian, and that there could be a mothership hundreds of miles off the U.S. coast.

“They say to us there’s nothing to fear, but we have no idea who it is, where it comes from, what it’s about and what it can do,” he said.

Van Drew proposed that flight restrictions be placed over the New Jersey airspace “and an order be given to neutralize any drone aircraft in violation of those restrictions” in a letter addressed to President Joe Biden on Wednesday.

“In neutralizing these drones we must ensure the safety of people on ground and should also attempt to keep the drones intact so that we may study their capabilities,” he wrote.

New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith has called on Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to help identify and address the widespread drone activity over the state.

“As you no doubt are also aware, there have been numerous instances of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) flying over New Jersey, including in close proximity to sensitive sites and critical infrastructure, to include military installations located in my district,” he stated in a letter to Lloyd on Tuesday.

He noted that Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JBMDL) possesses the capability to identify and take down unauthorized unmanned aerial systems.

“I urgently request all capabilities possessed by the Department of Defense, especially those in use by JBMDL to be immediately deployed to identify and address the potential threats posed by UAS over the state of New Jersey,” he said.

During a congressional hearing on Tuesday, Smith said an officer saw “50 drones” coming in off the ocean earlier this week in Ocean County. He has also said that a U.S. Coast Guard commanding officer stationed in Barnegat Light reported that “between 12 and 30” drones were following a USCG motor lifeboat over the weekend.

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker has called for greater transparency from federal authorities on the unexplained drone activity in a letter on Tuesday to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

“I recognize the need to maintain operational security of ongoing investigations and that this situation requires complex interagency coordination. However, there is a growing sense of uncertainty and urgency across the state — from constituents and local officials alike — despite assurances that the drones pose no known threats to public safety,” he stated in the letter. “As such, I urge you to share any relevant information about these drone sightings with the public. Without transparency, I believe that rumors, fear, and misinformation will continue to spread.”

The public should be “immediately briefed” by federal agencies, including the FBI, FAA and DHS, on what they know, New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer said.

“I think people have a right to know what’s going on,” he told ABC News Live anchor Kayna Whitworth on Wednesday.

Gottheimer, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, noted he is “not concerned there’s any imminent threats to security” in New Jersey or D.C. based on the briefings he’s had.

“That said, you can’t just fly drones anywhere,” he said. “This can’t just be game on. We need to know who these drones belong to, where they’re coming from. And if they’re not welcome, we’ve got to take them out.”

Police in Warren County, New Jersey, have also expressed frustration at the “lack of transparency” over the drone activity.

“We are shocked by the lack of response or update from Federal and State officials,” Chief Scott D. Robb, president of the Warren County Police Chief’s Association, said in a statement Wednesday. “We do not agree with their response that there is no known threat to the public at this time. It is our stance that just the unidentified drone flying over us is a threat in itself.”

DHS said in its handout on the New Jersey drones that there have been other drone sightings “of this type” both nationally and internationally.

Biden has been briefed on the drones and is “closely tracking the activity” and “coordinating closely” with DHS and the FBI to continue investigating these incidents, the White House said Tuesday.

“This is something that DHS and FBI are tracking very, very closely,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Tuesday.

The U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) is also monitoring reports of “unauthorized drone flights in the vicinity of military installations in New Jersey,” a spokesperson said.

“Local law enforcement and the FBI are currently investigating,” the spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that at this time NORTHCOM has not been requested to assist with the events but is prepared to respond “when asked or should the situation escalate to threaten any DoD installations.”

ABC News’ Jay O’Brien, Alexandra Faul, Ayesha Ali and Matthew Seyler contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) — Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old Ivy League graduate accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in front of a New York City hotel last week, has retained a private defense attorney in his Pennsylvania gun charges case.

Mangione was apprehended in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday following a dayslong manhunt. Police said he was found with multiple fake IDs, including a fake New Jersey ID matching the one that the suspect allegedly used to check into a hostel in New York City before the shooting, a 3D-printed pistol and a 3D-printed silencer.

He has been charged in Pennsylvania with carrying a gun without a license, forgery, falsely identifying himself to authorities and possessing “instruments of crime,” according to a criminal complaint.

Mangione plans to plead not guilty to the charges in Pennsylvania, his defense attorney, Thomas Dickey, told reporters on Tuesday.

Dickey said he anticipates Mangione would also plead not guilty to the second-degree murder charge he faces in New York in connection with Thompson’s death.

Has refrained from saying how he came to represent Mangione

The Altoona-based attorney has been making the press rounds since he was retained to represent Mangione, including ABC News’ Good Morning America and CNN.

But he could not confirm how he came to represent Mangione; he would only say he was retained Tuesday ahead of the suspect’s extradition hearing in Pennsylvania. He said he “of course” knew of the New York case but said, “I don’t follow a lot of things sometimes in news.”

The court denied Mangione bail during the hearing. Mangione plans to challenge his extradition to New York.

“He has constitutional rights and that’s what he’s doing” in challenging the interstate transfer, Dickey told reporters on Tuesday.

When asked how Mangione was feeling, the attorney brusquely said you can “use your common sense on that.” He later said that Mangione is “taking it as well as he can.”

The attorney told ABC News’ Good Morning America on Wednesday that anyone speculating on the case should take the potential evidence “in its entirety,” rather than take pieces of writing or other evidence “out of context.”

“People put out certain things, parts of different things,” he said. “I think any lawyer involved in this situation would want to see it all.”

“We’re looking forward to beginning our inquiry as to what evidence may or may not be out there,” he said.

Asked whether he would accept donations from members of the public seeking to fund his defense, Dickey said, “I don’t know.”

He told CNN that he probably wouldn’t.

“I just don’t feel comfortable about that,” he said. “It just doesn’t sit right with me, really.”

Asked about the outpouring of support for Mangione online, Dickey told reporters Tuesday, “People are entitled to their opinion.”

“If you’re an American, you believe in the American criminal justice system, you have to presume him to be innocent,” the attorney said. “And none of us would want anything other than that if that was us in their shoes. I’m glad that he has some support.”

Would consider representing suspect in New York murder case

Mangione could face additional charges in New York beyond second-degree murder, according to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

“As we learn more about motives and other things like that … there may be additional charges,” Bragg told ABC News on Wednesday.

Dickey told reporters Tuesday that if the opportunity presented itself to represent Mangione in the New York case, he “certainly would consider” it.

The attorney said he does not have a license to practice law in New York, but that “you can get admitted.”

“I’ve been doing this for 41 years, you can get admitted there,” he said, but added, “I don’t want to speculate about anything.”

Takes on cases ranging from capital murder to DUIs

Dickey is a lifelong resident of Blair County, home to Altoona, according to his bio on his law firm website.

He studied history and political science at Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania, and earned his law degree from Ohio Northern University.

He opened his private practice in 1984. It takes on first-degree murder, DUI and state and federal drug cases, among others.

Dickey told reporters Tuesday he is “proud to say” that he is one of the few attorneys in Pennsylvania who is qualified to provide defense counsel in death penalty cases.

His decades-long career has included a 2009 double homicide in which he argued post-traumatic stress disorder as a defense for the defendant, an Iraqi War veteran.

“I argued to the jury in my opening [statement], I said I believe that the Iraq war came home that day,” Dickey told CNN following the trial.

The defendant was ultimately convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison after the jury couldn’t agree on the death penalty.

Asked if Mangione’s was the biggest case he’s been on, Dickey told reporters, “They’re all big.”

“All my clients are equally important,” he said.

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(ROME, Ga.) — The death of a woman this week in a car crash involving a police officer who was responding to a bomb threat against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Georgia home demonstrates the growing danger of swatting, police and experts said.

Swatting refers to when a false threat is made to draw police and first responders to a location.

The woman, identified by police as Tammie Pickelsimer, was killed after crashing into a bomb squad member who was responding to the call, according to a statement from the Rome Police Department.

According to police, the threat was sent by email to them last week, but it was re-routed to a junk folder. Police on Monday discovered the email which correctly listed the congresswoman’s home address.

Greene was not home at the time, but the message from the email specifically targeted the congresswoman’s mailbox, Greene posted on X.

The email spurred a response from police who then sent an officer to monitor the mailbox while waiting for the bomb squad.

Rome police sergeant and bomb squad member David Metroka was en route to join the bomb squad at their headquarters when he crashed into the 66-year-old Pickelsimer, Georgia State Patrol said.

Picklesimer suffered significant injuries and later died at the hospital, according to GSP. The officer had minor injuries and was later released from the hospital.

Police did not find a bomb at Greene’s home. In a statement, the Rome Police Department addressed the dangers of swatting incidents.

“The Rome Police Department continues to work closely with Congresswoman Greene’s staff to address the growing concern of swatting incidents and has implemented protocols to ensure that emergency responses are only triggered when truly necessary,” the police department said in a statement. “This particular situation did not require an emergency response.”

The police department added, “The Rome Police Department extends its heartfelt condolences to the Pickelsimer family during this difficult time. The department holds the individual responsible for sending the threatening email fully accountable for setting this tragic chain of events into motion. In collaboration with Congresswoman Greene’s office, the Rome Police Department is working with federal authorities to ensure the perpetrator is apprehended and brought to justice.”

The Rome Police Department told ABC News the email had an IP address linked to Russia.

Greene said she “felt heartsick,” and expressed her concern over violent political threats in a statement on X.

“These violent political threats have fatal consequences,” she said. “It’s an undue strain on our law enforcement who must treat them seriously. The officer was responding to protect my life. And now, a woman has lost her life because of this despicable act.”

According to John Bandler, an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, swatting is a harassment tactic used to dispatch an “arm of government” for emergency services.

Bandler believes the uptick in swatting stems from cyber crimes allowing criminals to commit a crime against someone else without having to get close to it, he said.

“It is a way people can do a crime and they think they won’t get caught doing it,” Bandler said. “And it seems much more an indirect way of doing it.”

Most people are never going to be swatted, Bandler said. But he notes it will be hard to protect yourself from this sort of crime, just like it is to protect yourself from all crime, he said.

Bandler calls for all swatting attempts to be prosecuted as a felony in every state and on the federal level. Swatting becomes a felony on the federal level when it crosses state lines.

He said swatting is extremely dangerous and scatters police efforts.

“Not only are you wasting law enforcement’s time, but you’re triggering that emergency response and that is always going to be dangerous,” Bandler said.

Greene said her office is cooperating with local law enforcement and the FBI as they investigate the threat.

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(WASHINGTON) — A California man who pleaded guilty to a felony for his participation in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol filed a letter Wednesday showing he was personally invited by a retired Republican congressman to attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Russell Taylor, whom prosecutors described as a “leader” who organized a “group of fighters” to travel to Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, to obstruct Congress’ certification of Trump’s 2020 election loss, filed the letter from retired Republican Rep. Chris Stewart in a request for the judge overseeing his case to approve his travel to the nation’s capital.

Stewart makes no direct mention in the letter of Taylor’s participation in the Capitol attack, instead describing him as “a man of integrity and faith who has served those who are less fortunate.”

“Russ’ passion for what is right and good is reflected in his intentions to lift others,” Stewart said.

However, prosecutors described him as leading “not just by words, but by deeds,” in advance of the Capitol attack, according to court documents from his case. Taylor “repeatedly called for violence and a show of force” to overturn the election and, on Jan. 6 itself, led a mob that overran a police line near the inaugural stage while wearing “an exposed knife on top of a bullet proof chest plate and carrying bear spray,” according to his sentencing memo.

Taylor received credit from the judge overseeing his case, Royce Lamberth, for his agreement to enter into a plea deal with prosecutors followed by testimony at trial that helped convict one of his co-conspirators. Lamberth rejected prosecutors’ request to sentence him to over four years in prison and instead sentenced him to six months of home detention and probation.

“Counsel submits that Mr. Taylor does not pose any risk or concern for this travel request,” Taylor’s attorneys said in their letter to Lamberth on Wednesday. “He is traveling with his family including minor children. He is the guest of a former Congressman, and has demonstrated over and over again that he is trustworthy in his travel and compliance with Court Orders. We hereby request he be allowed to travel to Washington D.C. from January 16 to 21, 2025.”

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(NEW YORK) — Luigi Mangione, who is accused of second-degree murder for allegedly gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City, could face additional charges, according to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

Asked why Mangione was charged with second-degree murder, Bragg told ABC News that prosecutors wanted to bring charges quickly and first-degree murder “has a number of delineated circumstances.”

“Murder 2 is the intentional killing of a person, punishable by 25 years to life under New York law,” Bragg said Wednesday.

“Murder 1 has a number of delineated circumstances, including, for example, a serial murder, murder of a witness, murder of a police officer,” he explained.

“As we learn more about motives and other things like that … there may be additional charges,” Bragg said.

Mangione is also charged in New York with criminal possession of a forged instrument and several counts of criminal possession of a weapon.

Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate, is accused of shooting Thompson outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel on Dec. 4 while the CEO was heading to an investors conference.

Thompson’s murder ignited online anger at the health insurance industry and some people online have celebrated the suspect.

“Celebrating murder is abhorrent,” Bragg said. “I sit across the table from families who’ve had a loved one killed. And to think of people celebrating that … is beyond comprehension to me.”

“What I would say to members of the public … [who are] celebrating this and maybe contemplating other action: We will be vigilant and we will hold people accountable,” Bragg said.

The ghost gun allegedly in Mangione’s possession when he was arrested has been matched to three shell casings recovered at the murder scene, according to the NYPD.

Bragg, who has focused on cracking down on ghost guns during his time as DA, stressed, “They are lethal in the same way as a traditional gun. What is so scary about them is you can buy a 3D printer and you can print them right from your kitchen table.”

“[It’s] something we’re seeing more and more in use,” he said.

Fingerprints recovered from a water bottle and a Kind bar near the crime scene have also been matched to Mangione, police said.

Mangione was apprehended in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday after nearly one week on the run. He’s also facing charges in Pennsylvania, including allegedly possessing an untraceable ghost gun.

Mangione plans to challenge his extradition to New York.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said it will seek a governor’s warrant to try to force Mangione’s extradition. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement that she’ll sign a request for the governor’s warrant “to ensure this individual is tried and held accountable.”

Bragg said, “We will get the defendant here and bring him to justice through our court proceeding.”

“We’re prepared to go forward,” he said. “We’re on the path to accountability and justice.”

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(GREEN LAKE, Wis.) — Ryan Borgwardt, the husband and father who authorities said faked his own death at a lake and fled the country, has returned to the U.S. willingly and is now in custody in Wisconsin, the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office announced on Wednesday.

Borgwardt — who is accused of intentionally misleading authorities to believe he drowned this summer — notified officials he was returning and he landed in the U.S. on Tuesday, Sheriff Mark Podoll said at a news conference, but the sheriff did not reveal from where he flew.

Podoll said authorities are still putting together where Borgwardt was and who he was with since he vanished in August, but said he’s “cooperated” with law enforcement.

Borgwardt “researched other individuals that had successfully disappeared recently,” including lake deaths and “how deep a body has to be without resurfacing,” according to the criminal complaint.

When he was abroad and trying to stay under the radar, Borgwardt said he checked the news but usually avoided clicking on articles, the complaint said. The criminal complaint mentions Borgwardt having been in the country of Georgia.

Borgwardt said when he did click on a news article, “he would use a VPN and sometimes make it look like he was in Russia or somewhere else other than Georgia,” the complaint said. “Ryan stated that he knew that Georgia would have to extradite him and he wanted to be informed and prepared.”

Asked what compelled Borgwardt to come back, Podoll said, “His family, I guess.”

Podoll did not say if Borgwardt has had contact with his wife and children.

Borgwardt, who is charged with obstructing an officer, made his first court appearance on Wednesday. He faces up to a $10,000 fine and nine months in prison for alleged obstruction of an officer.

A signature bond was set at $500, since he “voluntarily turned himself in” from “halfway around the world,” the judge said. When the judge asked if he could afford any bail, Borgwardt replied, “I have $20 in my wallet.”

The case began on Aug. 11, when Borgwardt texted his wife that he was turning his kayak around on Green Lake and heading to shore soon, Podoll said.

But the dad of three never came home.

Responders found Borgwardt’s overturned kayak and life jacket in the lake and believed he drowned, officials said.

Crews scoured the lake for weeks using divers, drones, sonar and cadaver K-9s, but never found him, officials said.

In October, investigators discovered Borgwardt’s name had been checked by law enforcement in Canada two days after he vanished on the lake, the sheriff said.

Authorities also learned Borgwardt had been communicating with a woman from Uzbekistan, the sheriff said.

Borgwardt’s other suspicious behavior included: clearing his browsers the day he disappeared, inquiring about moving funds to foreign banks, obtaining a new passport and getting a new life insurance policy, the sheriff said.

Authorities determined Borgwardt was alive and likely in Eastern Europe or western Asia, but they didn’t know exactly where he was located. Authorities made contact with a woman who speaks Russian, and in November, they reached Borgwardt through that woman, authorities said.

Borgwardt said when he got the email from authorities, his “heart hit the floor,” the complaint said.

Borgwardt told police he was safe but didn’t reveal his location, the sheriff said.

Borgwardt did reveal to authorities how he faked his death.

“He stashed an e-bike near the boat launch. He paddled his kayak in a child-sized floating boat out into the lake. He overturned the kayak and dumped his phone in the lake,” the sheriff said at a news conference in November. “He paddled the inflatable boat to shore and got on his e-bike and rode through the night to Madison, [Wisconsin]. In Madison, he boarded a bus and went to Detroit, and then the Canadian border.”

Borgwardt said the Canadian Border Patrol was “suspicious” that he didn’t have a driver’s license or flight itinerary with him, but “ultimately, they allowed him to continue,” according to the complaint.

At the airport in Toronto, Borgwardt said he bought a flight to Paris.

On the plane, Borgwardt said he searched for news in Green Lake and saw “something about the missing kayaker and believes that his plan had worked,” according to the complaint.

After he landed in Paris he flew to a country in Asia, the complaint said.

An unidentified woman picked him up and they went to a hotel where they stayed for a couple of days, the complaint said.

Borgwardt was later in an apartment, according to a video he made for law enforcement.

No one else is facing charges, the sheriff said.

Asked if Borgwardt will be required to reimburse the county for the money spent on the search, Podoll told reporters, “That’s part of the restitution that we present to the court.”

He is next due in court on Jan. 13.

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(NEW YORK) — The ghost gun allegedly in Luigi Mangione’s possession when he was arrested in Pennsylvania has been matched to three shell casings recovered at the scene of Brian Thompson’s murder in New York City, NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Wednesday.

Fingerprints recovered from a water bottle and a Kind bar near the crime scene have also been matched to Mangione, she said.

Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate, is accused of gunning down Thompson, the UnitedHealthcare CEO, outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel on Dec. 4.

Written on the shell casings were the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose,” according to police sources.

Mangione was apprehended in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday after nearly one week on the run.

Mangione allegedly had a spiral notebook detailing plans about how to eventually kill the CEO, according to law enforcement officials.

One passage allegedly said, “What do you do? You whack the CEO at the annual parasitic bean-counter convention,” the officials said.

The writings said using explosives in the attack could “risk innocents,” according to the officials.

Detectives are still examining Mangione’s writings but are considering the contents of the notebook to represent a confession, sources said.

Investigators have started interviewing members of Mangione’s family, according to sources.

A judge in Pennsylvania ordered Mangione held without bail on Tuesday. In Pennsylvania he faces charges including allegedly possessing an untraceable ghost gun.

Mangione plans to challenge his extradition to New York, where he faces charges including second-degree murder.

“He has constitutional rights and that’s what he’s doing” in challenging the interstate transfer, defense attorney Thomas Dickey told reporters on Tuesday.

Mangione is “taking it as well as he can,” Dickey added.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said it will seek a governor’s warrant to try to force Mangione’s extradition. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement that she’ll sign a request for the governor’s warrant “to ensure this individual is tried and held accountable.”

Mangione’s attorney told ABC News’ “Good Morning America” on Wednesday that anyone speculating on the case should take the potential evidence “in its entirety,” not taking pieces of writing or other evidence “out of context.”

“People put out certain things, parts of different things,” he said. “I think any lawyer involved in this situation would want to see it all.”

Mangione plans to plead not guilty to the charges in Pennsylvania, Dickey said. Dickey said he anticipates Mangione would also plead not guilty to the second-degree murder charge in New York.

ABC News’ Sasha Pezenik, Mark Crudele, Luke Barr, Peter Charalambous and Josh Margolin contributed to this report.

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