A woman from Florida has been taken into custody after making threats against a health insurance employee. This incident comes on the heels of the recent killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Thompson was shot and killed outside a New York hotel on December 4. His murder led to a nationwide search for suspects, with Luigi Mangione identified as a primary suspect.
Mangione, aged 26, was captured on December 9 and subsequently charged with Thompson’s murder. Investigators believe Mangione inscribed a troubling message on the bullets used in the crime.
Police reported that the bullets bore the words ‘deny’, ‘depose’, ‘defend’. This message reportedly alludes to a book by Jay M. Feinman, a professor at Rutgers Law School, titled “Delay, Deny, Defend: Why insurance companies don’t pay claims and what you can do about it.”
In an unrelated case, a resident of Lakeland, Florida, allegedly repeated these words when threatening a Blue Cross Blue Shield employee after her health insurance claim was denied.
Briana Boston, 42, reportedly told the employee: “Delay, deny, depose. You people are next.”
Her words led to her arrest after the employee contacted the FBI. Lakeland Police Department officers visited Boston’s residence to discuss the threats, resulting in her arrest.
An arrest affidavit cited by The Independent states Boston admitted to making the comments and expressed regret. She mentioned being influenced by the phrase after learning about Thompson’s case and felt it was applicable because her claim had been denied.
The affidavit noted, “Boston further stated the healthcare companies played games and deserved karma from the world because they are evil.”
However, Boston, a mother of three, insisted her comments were not serious and claimed she did not possess any firearms. Nonetheless, she faces charges for making threats related to mass shooting or terrorism.
Lakeland Police Chief Sam Taylor commented on the arrest, stating to WFLA: “She’s been in this world long enough that she certainly should know better that you can’t make threats like that in the current environment that we live in and think that we’re not going to follow up and put you in jail.”
Boston’s bond has been set at $100,000. UNILAD has sought comments from the Lakeland Police Department.