A Florida woman has been arrested after threatening her health insurance company over a denied claim, which included a quote from the murderer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The Lakeland Police Department received communications from the FBI on Tuesday about 42-year-old Briana Boston, who allegedly threatened BlueCross BlueShield over the phone when they denied a recent claim.
And so it begins. A Florida female who allegedly used a trio of words that have become infamous (delay, deny, depose) charged 42-year-old Briana Boston with threats to conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism against a health insurance company over a claim denial. pic.twitter.com/GowOv3pjp6
— Insurrection Barbie (@DefiyantlyFree) December 13, 2024
According to local news station WFLA, Boston was heard on a recorded phone call repeating the phrase that was allegedly found on three different 9mm bullet casings at the site of the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson: “Delay, Deny, Depose.”
However, she did add one thing, telling the BlueCross BlueShield representative: “You people are next.”
While the first half of her comment could be perceived as innocuous, the second half was clearly a threat.
Thus, Boston’s arrest affidavit explained that the words she used have become widely recognized as a threat “directed against insurance companies.”
Lakeland Police Chief Sam Taylor issued a statement about Boston’s arrest, pointing out that she was fully aware that her comments would be perceived as a threat.
“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,” Taylor stated.
When Boston was questioned by law enforcement officers at her home, she allegedly admitted that she made the statement and claimed that “healthcare companies played games and deserved karma from the world because they are evil.”
She also admitted that she used the phrase “because it’s what is in the news right now,” though she insisted that she did not actually pose any danger to BlueCross BlueShield because she did not own any firearms.
“She readily admitted that, ‘Yeah that’s exactly what I said but I didn’t mean anything by it,’” the police chief noted. “Well, you don’t get to pull that back after you say it.”
Boston has been charged with threats to conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism. Her bond has been set to $100,000, with the judge citing “the status of our country at this point.”
She was seen with her head in her hands in court, appearing to be crying, when the judge ordered GPS monitoring and told her how high her bond was — as she apparently did not foresee that her actions would have consequences.
