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This isn't Luigi Mangione's fake ID. It's a doctored 'Superbad' replica | Fact check

Joedy McCreary   Paste BN
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The claim: Image shows UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect’s fake ID

A Dec. 9 Threads post (direct link, archive link) shows an image of what at first glance appears to be a Hawaii driver’s license with a photo of the man accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

“Photo of fake ID found on Luigi Mangione during arrest,” the post’s text reads.

The Threads post received more than 1,000 likes in four days, with many users recognizing a key word that betrayed the nature of the image but many others responding to it believing it is legitimate. The image also circulated widely on X.

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Our rating: Satire

The image shows a replica of a prop from the movie “Superbad,” as made clear by the name "McLovin." The image was digitally edited to add Mangione’s face.

Image shows doctored version of ‘Superbad’ prop

Mangione was arrested Dec. 9 and charged in connection with the Dec. 4 shooting death of Thompson outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel. Mangione's attorney says his client will plead not guilty and will fight extradition to New York.

Authorities say when they encountered Mangione in a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania, he presented them with a fraudulent identification card – but it's not the one shared in the Threads post.

Fact check: Video shows party after concert, not celebration of insurance CEO's murder

Rather, the post shows a doctored image of a replica of a prop from the 2007 film “Superbad” with the name of the “McLovin” character but with Mangione’s face edited into it. The unedited image appears as part of an eBay listing for replicas of the film prop. The photo in that version shows actor Christopher Mintz-Plasse, who played “McLovin” in the coming-of-age film. Other elements visible on it – including its purported issuance in Hawaii and Honolulu address, the license number, the date of birth and the expiration date – match those on the film prop.

The photo of Mangione edited into the ID was taken from an image of the phony New Jersey driver’s license that authorities say he had in his possession when they took him into custody. Part of the New Jersey state seal in the upper-right corner of the mugshot on that ID is visible in the image of the Hawaii license shared to Threads.

Paste BN previously debunked false claims that Thompson was scheduled to testify against California Rep. Nancy Pelosi for insider trading when he was killed, and that images show a job posting for CEO of UnitedHealthcare and a social media post from billionaire Elon Musk defending insurance companies after the shooting.

Paste BN reached out to the Threads user who shared the image but did not immediately receive a response.

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