More Luigi Mangione crowdfunding campaigns pop up, but experts urge caution

With the largest peer-to-peer fundraising site removing campaigns for the suspected shooter of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, supporters of Luigi Mangione are taking their efforts to other platforms, where they’re finding an environment that’s a bit more welcoming.

GoFundMe doesn’t appear to be allowing any campaigns to benefit Luigi Mangione, but several fundraisers have popped up on alternate sites. However, it’s unclear who is running them and whether the money will really go to Mangione’s defense.

Two campaigns on GiveSendGo have raised a combined $17,000 so far. There are also campaigns on Chuffed and Fundly, but those sites have failed to find backers in any of the more-than half-dozen campaigns.

One GiveSendGo campaign, run by a group calling itself The December 4th Legal Committee, has raised nearly $15,000 of its $200,000 goal. (It’s unclear exactly who is on that Committee and if they are legitimately seeking to help Mangione.) More than 450 people have pledged to give so far, with one donor offering $500 and writing, “I hope this entire event leads to the a [sic] rethinking of the wealthy people running this country. Health insurance has been a scam for far to [sic] long and it needs to change!”

Another person gave $1,300, noting, “Coincidentally [that is] the same amount I was charged for my 100% covered medical procedure.”

The organizer describes the campaign as “a preemptive legal fundraiser” and says “we are not here to celebrate violence, but we do believe in the constitutional right of fair legal representation.”

The second legal defense fund on GiveSendGo has raised over $2,000 via 72 donations. GiveSendGo did not respond to Fast Company’s request for comment about the campaigns.

While GoFundMe’s terms and conditions prohibit the use of the platform for many things, including “the legal defense of financial and violent crimes,” other platforms do not have the same prohibitions in place. GiveSendGo’s terms of use say it cannot be used for activities related to “Items that promote hate, violence, racial intolerance, or the financial exploitation of a crime,” but that does not seem to extend to legal defense funds.

Luigi Mangione was charged early Tuesday with second-degree murder by authorities in New York. He is also facing charges related to criminal possession of a weapon and forged instruments. In addition, he faces five criminal counts in Pennsylvania, including possessing an instrument of a crime, providing false identification to law enforcement and carrying a firearm without a license.

While terms of service at some fundraising sites might prohibit assembling legal funds for an accused murderer, there does not appear to be any actual legal barrier to doing so. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, emphasized this, writing in a blog post, “When we erect barriers between a defendant and the ability to pay for adequate legal representation, we jeopardize that judicial system. And while many abhor the actions … we must remember that these systems will not only be used against people whose actions we find abhorrent.”

For many people online, Thompson’s murder stirred up feelings of frustration, anger, and resentment toward insurance companies and the healthcare system. Those companies and executives, they claim, ignore patient suffering and are focused only on profits.

Some people are also looking to capitalize on the situation. Amazon and other online e-commerce platforms have been flooded with merchandise, including T-shirts, mugs, tote bags, celebrating Mangione and calling for his release. Amazon has been moving quickly to remove the items, saying they violated the site’s guidelines. Some scammers may also view this as an opportunity to take money from would-be supporters.

Rainey Reitman, a special advisor to the EFF and the author of an upcoming book on companies and their terms of service, suggests people who are considering financial support wait a bit.

“You might want to wait a little bit to see if a reputable non-profit sets up a defense fund—or after he has established council, there will be additional ways you can donate to his defense,” she tells Fast Company. “It might make more sense to see how things shake out.”