Cops: She Made 'Delay, Deny, Depose' Threat to Insurer

A Florida woman was arrested this week after allegedly ending a call with her insurance company by saying, "Delay, deny, depose. You people are next." Those first three words, of course, are the ones found on bullet casings at the scene of the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (Those bullet casings, in turn, may have been referring to a common criticism of the insurance industry, and title of a 2010 book, "delay, deny, defend.") The FBI informed local police about the call on Tuesday, and they arrested the woman, Briana Boston, WFLA reports. She has been charged with threats to conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism, Fox 13 reports.

"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," the Lakeland police chief says. But Boston, a mother of three who has no criminal history, says she doesn't even own a gun and is not a danger to the public. She was on the phone with BlueCross BlueShield regarding a recent claim that was denied. An attorney not involved in the case notes, "Although stupid, although ignorant, something you shouldn't say, the law allows you to say stupid, ignorant things, and even violent things, as long as it's not what's considered a true threat. It's political hyperbole." (More Florida stories.)