An upstate New York resident has confessed to cyberstalking by leaving threatening voicemails for a family member of the deceased UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson, during a federal court appearance on Thursday.
Shane Daley, 40, was charged by federal prosecutors in August for making numerous calls to a family member of Thompson shortly after the CEO’s shooting in December 2024. Daley expressed delight over Thompson’s death during these calls.
Prosecutors reported that Thompson was shot and killed outside a New York City hotel by an individual upset over perceived corporate greed.
The alleged shooter, Luigi Mangione, has pleaded not guilty and awaits trials in both state and federal courts.
In his guilty plea, Daley acknowledged making several calls to a work line used by a member of Thompson’s family in the days following the CEO’s death, leaving messages filled with threats and harassment.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Northern District of New York, Daley expressed satisfaction over the murder, suggesting that the family member and Thompson’s children deserved a similar fate.
“Shane Daley celebrated the cold-blooded murder of Brian Thompson and senselessly tried to maximize the Thompson family’s suffering,” stated first assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone in a prepared release.
Daley, residing in Galway, approximately 40 miles north of Albany, is scheduled for sentencing on July 17. He could face a maximum of five years in prison and a fine reaching $250,000.
Thompson, who was in charge of one of the largest health insurers in the United States, was killed in an incident that led to widespread public frustration with the nation’s healthcare system.
Some individuals have portrayed Mangione as a vigilante hero.
