Pennsylvania Tipster in New York City's CEO Shooting Faces Wait for $60,000 Reward

Pennsylvania Tipster in New York City's CEO Shooting

More than 400 tips were called into the New York Police Department's Crime Stoppers tip line during the five-day search for a masked gunman who fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week. NYPD officials said about 30 of those tips were useful as information about the gunman’s movements before and after the December 4 shooting.

However, it wasn’t until a 911 call came in from a McDonald’s employee in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday that police zeroed in on their suspect. The FBI and the Crime Stoppers program have offered up to $60,000 to anyone with a tip leading to a break in the case.

Eligibility for Reward

Police and prosecutors moved quickly to arrest and charge Luigi Mangione, 26, but it could take time before the McDonald’s tipster receives a financial reward for assisting in the case. Additionally, the employee might not take home the full $60,000 after paying taxes on the reward. If other tipsters contributed to leading authorities to Mangione, they may also be eligible for a share of the reward, which could be drawn from the same pot of money.

Exactly who will receive the reward or a share of it is still being determined. The federal and local reward programs operate under different rules, but both have leeway to offer multiple rewards of varying amounts based on the tip's outcome.

Understanding the Reward Process

How does someone become eligible for a reward? The FBI's reward program, which offered a reward of up to $50,000 in this case, requires that a tip or information lead to an arrest and conviction. A person giving a tip must be nominated, usually by a federal investigating agency. Then a board considers the tip's role in the investigation and decides whether to award up to the full amount.

NYPD Crime Stoppers typically offers up to $3,500 for information leading to an arrest and indictment. However, in this case, the NYPD’s Detective Bureau increased the amount to $10,000, and for its portion, a conviction is required.