Woman hit with terrorism charges over use of "Delay, deny, depose" in call with insurance provider
Lakeland, Florida - A Florida woman was arrested after allegedly invoking the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson as a threat during a phone call with her health insurance provider.
Multiple outlets reported on the arrest of 42-year-old Brianna Boston, who is accused of ending her call to Blue Cross Blue Shield by saying: "Delay, deny, depose. You people are next."
The first three words were written on bullet casings found at the scene of Brian Thompson's killing, in which 26-year-old Luigi Magione is the main suspect. They are believed to be a reference to law professor Jay M. Feinman's book, Delay, Deny, Defend – an exposé of the health insurance industry's tactics of avoiding payment to their clients.
Boston reportedly had a medical claim denied by Blue Cross Blue Shield, and told arresting officers that she thought insurance companies are "evil" and "deserve karma."
She did, however, apologize for her choice of words on the call and said she only used them "because it's what is in the news right now."
Despite not having a criminal record or owning a firearm, Boston hit with the extremely serious charge of making threats to conduct a mass shooting or act of terrorism. A judge set her bond at a shocking $100,000, justified by "the status of our country at this point."
Thompson's murder and Mangione's alleged justification for it – the deeply harmful greed of health insurance executives – has highlighted the universal frustration of Americans with a health care system geared almost exclusively towards profit, at the cost of people's lives.
Blue Cross Blue Shield made headlines just days after the killing when it was revealed that it would longer cover anesthesia for surgeries or medical procedures that exceed a predetermined time limit. That policy has since been reversed.
Cover photo: REUTERS