A New York State man is facing charges after allegedly threatening a family member of former United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The U.S. Attorney's office says 40-year-old Shane Daley sent harassing voicemails to that family member in the hours and days after Thompson was gunned down in broad daylight on a Midtown Manhattan sidewalk in December of 2024.
Prosecutors say Daley, who lives in Galway, New York, a small town north of Albany, expressed "satisfaction" over the fact and manner of Thompson's death, and said he and his children deserved to meet the same violent end.
Daley was arrested and had an initial court appearance Wednesday. He was released with GPS monitoring and is scheduled back in court Thursday afternoon, a spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office in Albany said. Daley’s attorney, Samuel Breslin, said they are reviewing the allegations and evidence.
If convicted, Daley could receive up to five years in prison and a fine up to $250,000.
In a statement, Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone said that “Brian Thompson was gunned down in midtown Manhattan. Daley, as alleged, gleefully welcomed this tragedy and did all that he could to increase the Thompson family’s pain and suffering.”
Thompson was fatally shot outside a hotel in New York City in December by a man who was angered over what he viewed as corporate greed, according to prosecutors. The suspect, Luigi Mangione, has pleaded not guilty.
The killing of Thompson, who led one of the biggest health insurers in the U.S., Minnetonka, Minnesota-based United Healthcare, resulted in a vast outpouring of public frustration with the country’s health care system. Many Americans reacted to the shooting by relaying personal stories about difficult experiences with insurance companies. Mangione himself has been lionized as a sort of vigilante hero by those who are critical of the insurance industry.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.