LAKELAND, FL - Within weeks of the UnitedHealthcare CEO who was shot and killed in broad daylight by a disgruntled person who had allegedly been denied several claims, a Florida woman has been arrested and charged after police say she threatened her health insurance company with wording associated with suspected killer of Brian Thompson.
According to ABC News, the incident happened on Tuesday, December 10th, when 42-year-old Briana Boston was speaking with a representative from Blue Cross Blue Shield after she had been told that her medical claim was denied. In the arrest report obtained by ABC News, police said that near the end of the recorded conversation with the insurance provider, Boston can be heard saying, "Delay, deny, depose. You people are next."
The woman's apparent threats nearly echo the three words that were engraved on the bullet shell casings that police recovered from the shooting death scene of Thompson. Those engraved words were "deny," "defend," and "depose."
Boston's words and the bullet casings almost mirror the title of a 2010 book: "Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don't Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It." The book was written by legal scholar and insurance expert Jay Feinman, a professor emeritus at Rutgers Law School in New Jersey.
The book reportedly explores abuses of auto and homeowners insurance to "avoid paying justified claims." When Lakeland Police confronted Boston about the perceived threats, she apologized and said that she "used those words because it's what is in the news right now."
The arrest report states that Boston told police she does not own any guns and is not a threat, but went on to say that health care companies "deserve karma" and that they are "evil." Police said, "Boston further stated that the health care companies played games and deserved karma from the world because they are evil."
According to WFLA, Lakeland Police Chief Sam Taylor said, "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 has been charged with threats to conduct a mass shooting or act of terrorism and was booked into jail in Polk County. Her attorney, Jim Headley said to a judge during her first court appearance, "My client is 42, married mother of three. Never had any criminal charges or convictions. May you release her on her own recognizance."
The judge, however, set her bond at $100,000, stating, "I do find that the bond of $100,000 is appropriate considering the status of our country at this point." KTLA5 reported that if convicted of those charges, she could be sentenced up to 15 years in prison. There is a GoFundMe currently set for Boston. At the time of this writing, it has raised over $44,000.
In the killing of Thompson, the UnitedHealthcare CEO, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione has been charged with murder. He is facing a slew of other charges in both Pennsylvania and New York.
According to ABC News, the incident happened on Tuesday, December 10th, when 42-year-old Briana Boston was speaking with a representative from Blue Cross Blue Shield after she had been told that her medical claim was denied. In the arrest report obtained by ABC News, police said that near the end of the recorded conversation with the insurance provider, Boston can be heard saying, "Delay, deny, depose. You people are next."
The woman's apparent threats nearly echo the three words that were engraved on the bullet shell casings that police recovered from the shooting death scene of Thompson. Those engraved words were "deny," "defend," and "depose."
Boston's words and the bullet casings almost mirror the title of a 2010 book: "Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don't Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It." The book was written by legal scholar and insurance expert Jay Feinman, a professor emeritus at Rutgers Law School in New Jersey.
The book reportedly explores abuses of auto and homeowners insurance to "avoid paying justified claims." When Lakeland Police confronted Boston about the perceived threats, she apologized and said that she "used those words because it's what is in the news right now."
The arrest report states that Boston told police she does not own any guns and is not a threat, but went on to say that health care companies "deserve karma" and that they are "evil." Police said, "Boston further stated that the health care companies played games and deserved karma from the world because they are evil."
According to WFLA, Lakeland Police Chief Sam Taylor said, "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 has been charged with threats to conduct a mass shooting or act of terrorism and was booked into jail in Polk County. Her attorney, Jim Headley said to a judge during her first court appearance, "My client is 42, married mother of three. Never had any criminal charges or convictions. May you release her on her own recognizance."
The judge, however, set her bond at $100,000, stating, "I do find that the bond of $100,000 is appropriate considering the status of our country at this point." KTLA5 reported that if convicted of those charges, she could be sentenced up to 15 years in prison. There is a GoFundMe currently set for Boston. At the time of this writing, it has raised over $44,000.
In the killing of Thompson, the UnitedHealthcare CEO, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione has been charged with murder. He is facing a slew of other charges in both Pennsylvania and New York.
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