Florida woman Briana Boston arrested after threatening her insurance company
(Briana Boston booking photo, Image credit: Polk County Jail)
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On the heels of UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson recently being shot and killed in broad daylight in downtown Manhattan, allegedly by 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, officials are concerned about copycats going after other U.S. health care officers. ABC News reported that on Tuesday, December 10, Briana Boston, a 42-year-old woman from Lakeland, Florida, disgruntled with her insurance company, was charged with making threats against her health insurance provider, Blue Cross Blue Shield.
According to police in Lakeland, Boston was on the phone with BCBS disputing a medical claim which the company had denied. Boston ended her phone call by saying, “Delay, deny, depose. You people are next,” which closely mirrored the wording found on bullet casings at the scene of Thompson’s murder, according to CBS News.
The phrase “delay, deny, depose” is reminiscent of the title of a book by legal scholar Jay Feinman, which criticizes insurance companies for their tactics in handling claims. This connection raised alarms which led to Boston’s arrest. Following her phone call with BCBS, Lakeland detectives arrived at her home and took her into custody. The Florida woman was charged with threats to conduct a mass shooting or act of terrorism. A judge initially set her bond at $100,000, according to the BBC.
E! shared that Boston admitted to using the phrase because it was “in the news right now,” referencing the recent shooting incident. She claimed she did not own any firearms and did not intend to harm anyone, but expressed frustration with health insurance companies, describing them as “evil” and deserving of “karma.”
Following her arrest, many in the public who sympathized with her position have come to her aid. Reportedly, she has since been released from the slammer, apparently with her charges dropped.  She could have been looking at serious jail time if found guilty on those charges.
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Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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