Though Luigi Mangione comes from a wealthy and prominent family, anonymous online donors have chipped in thousands of dollars to fund his legal defense against charges connected to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
One fundraiser on the Christian-based free speech fundraising platform GiveSendGo had raised more than $31,000 as of Wednesday afternoon on the way to a $200,000 goal. The New Jersey-based fund was created by a newly-formed "December 4th Legal Committee," possibly referencing the date of the shooting.
Representatives from GiveSendGo told USA TODAY multiple campaigns have been created for Mangione, including a smaller fundraiser that was unpublished Wednesday.
Mangione's attorney, Thomas Dickey, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY, but told CNN Tuesday his client appreciates the support but he "probably wouldn't" accept funds to cover Mangione's legal costs.
Organizers on GiveSendGo said on the fundraiser they've written directly to Mangione in jail to determine how he would like to use the funds. If he rejects them, the money would be donated to "legal funds for other U.S. political prisoners."
Other social media pages have linked to Mangione's jail commissary account soliciting donations for "snacks, sodas, an iPad, etc."
But the group behind the December 4th Legal Committee fundraiser has virtually no online presence and it's not clear how the platform itself, which has been hacked in the past, ensures the money will go where donors think it will, according to Megan Spire, deputy director for data analytics and the OSINT Intelligence Project at the Southern Poverty Law Center.
"You don't really know who you're even giving money to," Spire said. "It's just, it's all very potentially shady."
The organizer of the December 4th Legal Committee wrote to USA TODAY late Wednesday that the group is "composed of veteran legal aid volunteers with decades of experience in prison and court support," working to ensure Mangione gets "top-tier legal representation."
“We are dedicated to ensuring that he gets a fair trial with competent legal counsel," wrote Carol Sherman, an organizer with the December 4th Legal Committee.
The more mainstream fundraising site GoFundMe has removed fundraisers supporting Mangione and refunded donations, a spokesperson for GoFundMe told USA TODAY Wednesday, noting the company's terms of service prohibits fundraisers for the legal defense of violent crimes.
But those rules don't apply on GiveSendGo.
"While other platforms deny individuals the chance to raise funds for a quality legal defense based on their agendas, we believe people are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law," Heather Wilson, co-founder of GiveSendGo said in a statement after the Penny verdict. "Regardless of media portrayals or public pressure, it’s our responsibility to uphold that right, even for causes we may not personally support. Justice isn’t served when resources are limited to those who fit certain narratives."
Wilson told USA TODAY crowdfunding helps level the playing field in the criminal justice system by allowing people to secure quality representation and cover court related expenses. "The presumption of innocence and the right to legal representation should not be reserved for the wealthy," she said in a statement to USA TODAY.