Why The McDonald's Worker Who Reported Luigi Mangione May Lose The $60K Reward

Luigi Mangione is not what you might picture when describing a cold-blooded murderer. Indeed, the 26-year-old Mangione graduated at the very top of his high school class and followed with an Ivy League college education. Mangione's family is both prominent and wealthy in his home city of Baltimore, where they own property including golf courses and country clubs. Yet on Monday evening, December 9, the once-promising young man was charged with second-degree murder and numerous other charges related to the fatal and shocking public execution of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City.

Initially, the New York Police Department (NYPD) offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the identification of the shooter. However, the FBI later became involved and stacked an additional $50,000 reward on top of NYPD's incentive, for a total reward of $60,000 in exchange for vital information. On that fateful Monday, December 9, law enforcement received a tip from a McDonalds employee in Altoona, Pennsylvania that the suspect was currently inside the fast food establishment and acting suspiciously.

As a business, McDonald's has been struggling with customer resistance to high prices of late. However, the heroic McDonald's worker who identified Mangione, who's yet to be named, may have a struggle of their own ahead in actually collecting one or both of the rewards.

Unfortunately for the affected McDonald's worker, it appears that the dual rewards of $10,000 and $50,000 come with some "fine print" regarding payout. In order to receive the funds, Mangione must be convicted in a court of law, not merely arrested. Note that a high-profile case like this could take considerable time to work itself through the court system. 

Also, according to the FBI, "A U.S. investigating agency (such as the Department of Defense or the FBI) or a U.S. embassy abroad must first nominate a person for a reward." The FBI's website continues, "Individuals claiming to have provided information may not self-nominate for a reward payment." As if that's not enough proverbial red tape, the U.S. Secretary of State has the ultimate authority on whether a reward is actually paid out, regardless of whether it appears to meet all qualifications. The Secretary can also adjust the dollar value of the reward.

The smaller reward offered by the NYPD is not without its own set of hurdles. For example, NYPD requires that all reward-eligible tips be reported via its Crime Stoppers 1-800 telephone number. Because callers are allowed to remain anonymous, they receive a reference number related to their tip instead. Tipsters who later feel they have a valid claim to a reward must either call back or visit the Crime Stopper's website with their reference number to check if the reward payout was approved by the appropriate authorities.

Although collecting a reward from the FBI might seem like a convoluted process, at least some prior tipsters have been able to navigate the obstacles. For example, one of the masterminds behind 1993's World Trade Center bombing was arrested in Pakistan based on a rewards-eligible tip, though the dollar amount is undisclosed. In an extravagant 2007 ceremony, the FBI's Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program paid a combined $10 million for tips from residents of the Philippines regarding criminal activity. Finally, a $3 million reward went to an individual that proffered critical information about the 2012 attack on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Libya, where four Americans were killed.

To recap the reward eligibility for the brave McDonald's employee who notified authorities about Luigi Mangione, a successful criminal conviction would be required. At that point, the FBI's $50,000 reward would require nomination, then approval, including the dollar amount, by the U.S. Secretary of State. In the case of NYPD's $10,000 reward, it appears that the McDonalds employee may have been required to communicate the tip through specific channels to be eligible.

In any case, it could be months, or more likely, years, until Mangione is both extradited from Pennsylvania to New York and is subject to trial, which may or not result in a conviction. In the meantime, that brave McDonald's employee probably shouldn't bank on the reward money or quit his job filling the new McFlurry cups just yet. Although an immediate bonus or other recognition sure seems appropriate.