Luigi Mangione's top federal prosecutor in NY is recused in mystery shake-up in death penalty case

• Jay Clayton, the top federal prosecutor in Luigi Mangione's case, has been recused.
• Trump nominated Jay Clayton as interim US attorney for the Southern District of New York this month.
• The Justice Department is seeking the death penalty for Mangione.

The top federal prosecutor in Luigi Mangione's federal case has been recused.

The US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York shared the update in a letter addressed to Judge Margaret M. Garnett on Wednesday.

"The Government also writes to inform the Court that United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, is recused from this matter," the letter said.

The Southern District of New York did not say why Clayton was recused. Instead, Perry A. Carbone, the district's criminal division chief, will act as the attorney for the United States in the case.

Mangione, 26, is accused of shooting and killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024. He faces charges in three different jurisdictions.

In New York, he faces state charges of murder as an act of terror. He also faces lesser state charges for forgery and weapons violations in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested days after the shooting.

Mangione also faces federal charges for murder through the use of a firearm, among other charges. The Justice Department is seeking the death penalty against Mangione for the federal murder charge. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Clayton was chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission from 2017 to 2020. He previously worked as a lawyer for Sullivan & Cromwell.

President Donald Trump unsuccessfully attempted to install Clayton as the Southern District of New York's lead attorney in 2020. Trump nominated Clayton for the role a second time last November, which drew ire from Democrats like Sen. Chuck Schumer, who said he would block Clayton's nomination, according to Bloomberg Law.

Edward Y. Kim served as the acting US attorney for the Southern District of New York from December 2024 to January, when Danielle Sassoon took over the interim position, the Associated Press reported. Sassoon resigned in February, and Matthew Podolsky took over before stepping down this month, according to ABC News.

On April 16, Trump named Clayton the interim US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, making his recusal from this district's most prominent case notable.

Representatives for the Southern District of New York and the US Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.