The Insane Story of Luigi Mangione’s Alleged Gun, 3D Printer Files, and the Lawsuit Entangling Them

Luigi Mangione stands accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. What’s partially notable about the killing was Mangione being found in possession of a so-called ghost gun, a 3D-printed firearm that he was able to make himself, as well as a suppressor which some sources say was also 3D printed.

This isn’t news. You’ve all probably heard about it before now, including my own speculation that despite having a clear background check, he went with a “ghost gun” because of a misunderstanding of what gun tracing actually was and how it worked.

Still, it’s speculation.

But a lawsuit between two entities that deal with 3D-printed guns touches on Mangione’s case, and then it gets really nuts.

Alleged CEO shooter Luigi Mangione was able to build his murder weapon thanks to directions he obtained from a “3-D black-market operator” he found on the internet, RadarOnline.com has learned.

The chilling crime has been celebrated by some people in 3D-printed gun circles.

Mangione was said to have used a 3D-printed “ghost gun” for the murder of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson.

According to gun rights group Defense Distributed, a rival group known as Gatalog, which publishes designs for 3D-printed guns and accessories online, provided the files and instructions Mangione needed to complete his weapon and silencer.

Defense Distributed is currently in a lawsuit battle with Gatalog, alleging them of illegally trafficking digital firearms information that Defense Distributed handles legally.

The lawsuit labels Gatalog as a “full-fledged criminal racketeering enterprise.”

The suit slams: “The Gatalog is a black-market operator in the worst sense, achieving its illegal ends with dangerously illegal means of criminal wire fraud, money laundering, extortion, and even threatened murder, stealing business from Defense Distributed – the only firm serious enough to do the work legally – and distorting an otherwise thriving and compliance market in digital firearms information.”

Now, at the heart of this is the fact that Defense Distributed has tripped over itself to comply with every federal law, including taking efforts to prevent designs from being used overseas while Gatalog reportedly doesn’t. In addition, Gatalog has designs available for download for all kinds of products that simply can’t be lawfully made by most people, at least not without jumping through a lot of hoops on their own. I’m talking about suppressors and suppressed firearms.

It’s easy to look at this and say, “These laws shouldn’t exist in the first place.” I happen to agree. Yet they do exist, and so Defense Distributed is playing by the rules and Gatalog isn’t.

That’s less than good, to say the least.

However, it gets wilder than that. From a lawsuit filing itself:

4. The Gatalog Commits Harassment and Extortion.

129. The Gatalog competes with Defense Distributed by engaging in extortion indictable under 18 U.S.C. § 1951.

130. Specifically, it did so by using threats of economic harm and public disparagement to coerce payments from Defense Distributed, intending to interfere with its business operations and extract financial gain unlawfully.

a. On April 29th, 2021, and at points thereafter, Elik informed Wilson on behalf of Holladay and the rest of Deterrence Dispensed that Defense Distributed would have to pay their group more if it wanted to continue hosting their files unrestricted and for free at DEFCAD. Wilson declined to pay Elik additional money without an agreed-upon contract, and he reminded Elik that the Deterrence Dispensed files were already published unlicensed or open source and that he had no right to demand their removal, especially on anyone else’s behalf. Elik responded that if Defense Distributed did not pay him or his international collaborator Jacob Duygu, aka JStark, then he (Elik) would direct everyone he knew who used the DEFCAD site to chargeback their credit cards to damage or terminate Defense Distributed’s merchant account relationships.

b. Their threats of orchestrated chargebacks posed a direct threat to DEFCAD’s financial stability, given that the fraudulent chargebacks could result in the suspension or termination of DEFCAD’s merchant accounts, disrupting its ability to process payments and operate its business effectively. 

c. The Gatalog intended to use the threats as leverage to extract payments.

Wild, right?

And, to be clear, if these allegations are accurate–and it should be stressed that these are, in fact, allegations–then this is a serious offense.

Yet the complaint continues:

5. The Gatalog Threatens Murder.

132. The Gatalog competes with Defense Distributed engaged in threats involving a crime of violence, including murder, by making direct and explicit threats against Cody Wilson, CEO of Defense Distributed, intending to instill fear and intimidate him into ceasing his lawful business activities.

133. On November 7, 2024, a Gatalog member, acting as an agent of the enterprise, sent a message to Cody Wilson via his DEFCAD account that contained a direct and explicit threat of physical violence entailing murder. The message stated: “Cody, you realize there’s a bounty on your head, right? To clarify I didn’t put it out and I’m not gonna claim it, I just wanna let you know that it’s shit like this that is the reason you have a bounty on you. Have fun sleeping tonight with this information….”

134. The Gatalog member’s reference to a “bounty on your head” is an explicit indication of a credible threat of violence, suggesting that Cody Wilson is being targeted for a potential act of physical harm. The language used in the message was calculated to instill fear, implying that others are actively seeking to harm Wilson and that his safety is at risk.

135. The message was sent with the clear intent to intimidate Cody Wilson and disrupt his business activities at DEFCAD and Defense Distributed. By stating, “Have fun sleeping tonight with this information,” The Gatalog member sought to cause psychological distress and instill fear of imminent harm. This conduct constitutes a crime of violence because it involves the threatened use of physical force against a specific individual.

136. The threat made against Cody Wilson was not an isolated act but part of a broader pattern of intimidation tactics employed by The Gatalog enterprise.

137. The Gatalog enterprise has engaged in similar acts of intimidation and harassment against individuals associated with Defense Distributed, including coordinated campaigns of online harassment, doxxing, and threats of legal action. The threat made on November 7, 2024, is part of this ongoing pattern of racketeering activity designed to instill fear and force Defense Distributed to cease its lawful activities.

138. This threat also qualifies as a violent crime in aid of racketeering activity that is indictable under 18 U.S.C. § 1959, which criminalizes anyone who “as consideration for the receipt of, or as consideration for a promise or agreement to pay, anything of pecuniary value from an enterprise engaged in racketeering activity, or for the purpose of gaining entrance to or maintaining or increasing position in an enterprise engaged in racketeering activity, murders, kidnaps, maims, assaults with a dangerous weapon, commits assault resulting in serious bodily injury upon, or threatens to commit a crime of violence against any individual in violation of the laws of any State or the United States, or attempts or conspires so to do.” 18 U.S.C. § 1959.

That’s right. We’re talking murder threats now.

Luigi Mangione is accused of murder, but now we’re being told that the outfit that helped him access plans to build the alleged murder weapon was also behind threats of murder against a rival company.

Honestly, the allegations here are absolutely insane. However, we need to keep in mind that this is one side of the story. The folks at Gatalog will have an opportunity to respond. I have to believe, though, that if Defense Distributed and its founder, Cody Wilson, didn’t have evidence supporting these allegations, they wouldn’t be in this filing at all.

Otherwise, it completely undermines the case and pretty much anything else said.

However, it’s also clear that this is a case we’re going to need to follow, if for no other reason than to understand just how much stranger reality is compared to fiction.