FACT CHECK: Threads Post Does Not Show Mangione’s Mugshot

An image shared on Threads purports to show the New York Police Department (NYPD)’s official mugshot of Luigi Mangione.

Verdict: False

A content detection scan using the website “Hive Moderation” indicates the image has been generated with artificial intelligence (AI). In addition, an NYPD spokesperson and an AI expert also denied the image showed Mangione’s official mugshot.

Fact Check:

Following his recent arraignment on state charges in Manhattan, Mangione pleaded not guilty to “murder in furtherance of terrorism and other felony charges,” according to the Gothamist. Mangione is accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York on Dec. 4, the outlet reported.

The Threads post, which has received over 100 likes as of writing, purports to show the NYPD’s official mugshot of Mangione. In the image, a white male with dark hair can be seen wearing an orange jumpsuit.

“NYPD released [the] official mugshot. Are we kidding? Like is this a joke?” the image’s caption reads. The caption also uses the tag “Luigi Mangione,” which links to other Threads content about the 26-year-old man who allegedly killed Thompson.

The claim is false. Check Your Fact conducted a content detection scan using the website “Hive Moderation,” and the results indicate the image is 83.2% likely AI-generated. According to the results of the same scan, “Stable Diffusion” appears to be the program used to create the image.

Similarly, the purported mugshot of Mangione is neither referenced on the NYPD’s website nor on its verified social media accounts. In addition, Check Your Fact did not find the image featured in any recent credible news reports about Mangione. Actually, the opposite is true.

Both VERIFY and Reuters reported the image is AI-generated on Dec. 23 and 27, respectively. (RELATED: Fake Image Of Luigi Mangione In “Sailor Moon” Costume Shared Online) 

Furthermore, a spokesperson for the NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner, Public Information denied the image showed Mangione’s official mugshot.

“The NYPD does not disseminate arrest photos unless we are attempting to locate an individual,” the same spokesperson said.

Dr. Walter Scheirer, an AI expert at the University of Notre Dame, also denied the claim.

“This is a widely circulating AI-generated image of Luigi Mangione. It was posted to social media by an unofficial source and does not match any photos of Mangione that have been released by law enforcement or the press. Mangione has two prominent marks on his face — both under his eyes, half-way down each cheek. A key indicator that this is a fake image is that one cheek is missing a mark, and the other cheek has the mark in the wrong location,” Scheirer said.