New claims in UnitedHealth CEO murder case

Luigi Mangione was allegedly beaten by seven transgender women commonly referred to in Thailand as “ladyboys” in a Bangkok sex bar after a $1,500 dispute — months before he was accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan, according to a new book.

The alleged bar brawl, described in a self-published book titled “Last Known Contact: The Untold Story of Luigi Mangione,” adds a new twist to the accused assassin’s chaotic travels across Asia in 2024.

The anonymous author claims to have met Mangione while backpacking in Thailand and says the Ivy League graduate shared messages and photos describing the melee, according to excerpts published by DailyMail.com.

Mangione, 27, and a group of new friends had stopped into what the author called an “infamous sex bar” in Bangkok’s red-light district when they were presented with a tab roughly equivalent to $1,500 after drinking only a couple of beers.

When the men questioned the inflated bill, they were surrounded and attacked by as many as seven ladyboys, the book claims.

Mangione reportedly escaped with scratches and bruises and later boasted about the encounter over WhatsApp, texting: “Lol not a ladyboy. More like 7 ladyboys.”

The author said he did not witness the brawl firsthand but included screenshots of the messages and a photo of Mangione’s injuries.

The Post has not independently verified the authenticity of the book or the alleged correspondence. Mangione’s attorney was not immediately available for comment.

The new claims expand on a report by the New York Times, which first revealed Mangione’s own description of being “beaten up by seven ‘ladyboys’” in a message to friends earlier this year.

The Times said it reviewed the same WhatsApp exchanges and a photo of his scratched arm.

Christian Sacchini, a professional soccer player who met Mangione at a Bangkok pub in March 2024, told the Times the Maryland native spoke enthusiastically about video games and Pokémon before launching into a rant about how “effed up” the US health care system was compared to Thailand’s.

Mangione, a University of Pennsylvania graduate, later told friends he wanted to “meditate” and “do some writing” in Japan’s remote Nara Mountains.

Juntaro Mihara, who owns a small guesthouse in Tenkawa where Mangione stayed six days, said he was quiet and avoided using digital devices.

“He only had minimum necessary conversations with other guests or maybe didn’t talk with anyone,” Mihara told the Times.

According to diaries later seized by prosecutors, Mangione’s tone darkened after returning to the US in July 2024. In one entry from August, he wrote that he felt “foggy” but “confident” about taking action against what he called injustice in the health care system.

“I finally feel confident about what I’ll do,” he wrote, according to the Times.

“The details are finally coming together. And I don’t feel any doubt about whether it’s right/justified. I’m glad — in a way — that I’ve procrastinated, bc it allowed me to learn more about UHC. The target is insurance. It checks every box.”

Authorities say Mangione shot Thompson, 50, outside the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan on Dec. 4, 2024, as the executive attended the insurer’s annual investor conference.

Police recovered shell casings etched with the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose” — terms associated with insurance claim practices.

Mangione was arrested five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa., following a multistate manhunt.

Mangione was allegedly carrying a 3D-printed handgun, a suppressor, a fake ID and a handwritten 262-word manifesto attacking the US health care industry, DailyMail.com reported, citing unnamed sources.

Those details have not been confirmed by prosecutors.

The accused killer has pleaded not guilty to state and federal murder and stalking charges. Federal prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

Mangione has gained a small online following of supporters who describe his crime as a form of protest, though law enforcement officials have condemned the rhetoric as dangerous.

He remains held without bail and is due back in federal court Dec. 5.