Briana Boston, a 42-year-old woman from Lakeland, Florida (USA), was arrested this week after threatening her insurance company during a phone call using words linked to the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York.
Boston was arrested last Wednesday (11) on charges of “threatening to carry out an act of terrorism”. According to local police, the woman contacted Blue Cross Blue Shield, her insurer, on Tuesday (10) to dispute the denial of a request for medical coverage. During the call, which ended unsuccessfully, she said the following words: “Delay, deny, depose. You people are next” (“Postpone, deny, testify. You’re next”), according to a recording made by the company, which was sent to the FBI, which contacted local police. These words gained notoriety when they were found engraved on the cartridges used by Luigi Mangione, during his attack against Brian Thompson on December 4th, where he shot the CEO, who died at the scene. Mangione, 26, has already been formally charged with murder.
According to information from Associated Press (AP), When questioned by the police after her arrest, Boston said she used the words because of the repercussion of the case in the media.
“That’s what’s in the news right now,” she told officers. She denied that she owned weapons, however, she stated that she considers insurance companies “evil” and that these companies “deserve karma”.
“Health companies played and deserved the world’s karma because they are bad,” he declared.
According to the APBoston was formally charged with threatening terrorism, a second-degree charge that carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison if convicted. She remains detained in Polk County, Florida, where Lakeland is located, without bail at this time.