Luigi Mangione, who stands accused of assassinating UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City, reportedly jested about using valuable “Pokémon” trading cards to pay for prostitutes during a so-called “Zen” trip to Japan. This lighthearted remark was made just months before the alleged crime, as reported by a recent article.

During his stay in Osaka, Mangione humorously suggested to a friend that he might try settling a debt with a mob boss using “pornstar Pokémon” cards instead of the local currency, yen. This anecdote is part of a detailed account of his Asian travels featured in The New York Times.

The report also notes that Mangione frequently mentioned the “Pokémon” franchise throughout his trip. He had conversations about this and other video games with an American expatriate who had moved to Thailand to pursue a career in professional soccer.

An image juxtaposes a stack of collectible “Pokémon” cards with Luigi Mangione appearing in court for a hearing related to the murder charges against him for the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. This court appearance took place in Manhattan Supreme Court on September 16, 2025, in New York City. (Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images, Curtis Means-Pool/Getty Images)

During his travels, Mangione’s itinerary included stops in Thailand, Japan, and India. In Mumbai, he met an author renowned for writing about the Unabomber Ted Kaczynski. Additionally, he experienced a comical defeat in a scuffle with seven “ladyboys” in Bangkok and attended a spiritual retreat in the serene Japanese mountain village of Tenkawa.

He returned to the United States that July, staying in San Francisco, California. But by December, he was staying at a hostel in New York City, allegedly waiting to ambush Thompson outside a shareholder conference in Manhattan.

Luigi Mangione is accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (AP Photo/UnitedHealth Group via AP)

On the morning of Dec. 4, 2024, surveillance video shows a hooded gunman approach Thompson from behind and open fire. The married father of two died from his injuries.

Mangione was arrested five days later in Altoona, Pennsylvania, allegedly in possession of the murder weapon and a manifesto critical of the health insurance industry.

Luigi Mangione, suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City, arrives at a heliport with members of the NYPD on Dec. 19, 2024, in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Mangione faces a slew of charges in New York, Pennsylvania and at the federal level, including interstate stalking, the use of a firearm to commit a murder and second-degree murder.

He could face the death penalty on the top federal charge and up to life in prison in New York if convicted.