‘Delay, Deny:’ Woman in Florida Charged With Threatening BCBS After Claim Denial

A Lakeland, Florida, woman was charged this week with threatening mass violence after she reportedly told her health insurance company: “Delay, deny, depose. You people are next” – echoing words allegedly used by the shooter of the UnitedHealthcare CEO.

Briana Boston, 42, apologized after she was arrested at her home, and said she does not own any guns, according to multiple news reports. She was charged with making threats of mass shooting or acts of terrorism and was booked into jail in Polk County, the Miami Herald and others reported.

Lakeland Police and the FBI were alerted after Boston’s recent medical claims were denied by BlueCross BlueShield and she spoke on the telephone to a carrier representative, news sites noted. Similar “delay, deny” words were reportedly written on bullet casings found at the scene where UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot to death in New York on Dec. 4.

The suspect in that shooting, Luigi Mangione, is in police custody in Pennsylvania.

Boston told Lakeland Police that she didn’t mean to threaten BCBS leaders, but used the “delay, deny” words because of the news stories that have gripped the world for the past two weeks, news sites reported. The infamous words also were part of 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 Jay Feinman, a professor emeritus at Rutgers Law School in New Jersey.

BCBS apparently recorded the phone conversation Boston had with a company representative on Dec. 10, and a transcript was provided to the FBI. The FBI gave the transcript to Lakeland Police, who came to Boston’s home the next day, the Herald and others noted.

Insurance company leaders and police agencies have warned that the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting could inspire copycat violence, as some people around the country have expressed sympathy for the alleged shooter and have complained about claims denials.

Photo: This combination of images provided by the New York City Police Department shows the suspect sought in the the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel where the health insurer was holding an investor conference, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (New York City Police Department via AP)