The first person to invoke Luigi Mangione‘s alleged healthcare CEO murder and be arrested for it is facing a $100k bond and up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
Briana Boston, 42, was charged with “threats to conduct a mass shooting or act of terrorism” after allegedly saying “delay, deny, depose, you people are next,” to her healthcare provider over the phone. Boston may have mixed up the three words written on the bullet shell casings fired at Brian Thompson, the deceased UnitedHealthcare CEO: “delay, defend, depose.”
Florida Lakeland police arrested her for the perceived threat, which was allegedly made after her provider refused a claim. This potential invocation of violent activism follows a nationally divided reaction to Mangione’s manifesto, which laid out in detail the ways parasitic healthcare companies are avoiding payouts.
Lakeland Police Department contacted the FBI after Anthem BlueCross BlueShield reported the threat on Dec. 10, 2024. Boston was arrested at her door and is being held at Polk County Sheriff’s Office, according to Newsweek. 11News reported that Boston admitted she used those words while on the phone, and apologized.
Ultimately, the arrest screams of paranoia and a show of force. The concern is Mangione will inspire similar acts of violence given how political his alleged motivations were and how he has garnered empathy from people who have faced similar strife with insurance providers.
Anthony Rickman, a lawyer, told Fox 13 he believes it’s an “overcharge,” which is a practice done to strong-arm defendants into plea bargains, or to make a larger point. “In reality, there’s nothing in her communication that specifically says she’s going to commit a mass shooting.”
Boston told police she does not own any firearms and is not a danger to anyone, and in her affidavit reportedly said healthcare providers who play games are evil and deserve bad karma, echoing the sentiments causing outrage on social media.
The last time BlueCross BlueShield made headlines was just weeks before this incident; on Dec. 4, 2024, it announced it would no longer cover anesthesia for the full length of some surgeries in the states of Connecticut, New York, and Missouri. After pushback, including statements from New York Governor Kathy Hochul and a letter penned by The American Society of Anesthesiologists, that policy was reversed.
“This is just the latest in a long line of appalling behavior by commercial health insurers looking to drive their profits up at the expense of patients and physicians providing essential care,” said Donald E. Arnold, M.D.. “It’s a cynical money grab by Anthem, designed to take advantage of the commitment anesthesiologists make thousands of times each day to provide their patients with expert, complete and safe anesthesia care.”
Boston, a mother of three with no criminal record, faces up to 15 years in prison for quoting Mangione in a moment of anger. Here’s hoping prosecutors and cops see sense and let her off with a warning.