Additional Coverage:
- New York man charged with cyberstalking widow of slain UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson (cnbc.com)
Upstate New York Man Arrested for Cyberstalking Widow of Slain CEO
Albany, NY – A Galway, New York, man has been arrested and charged with cyberstalking the widow of Brian Thompson, the UnitedHealthcare CEO who was killed in Manhattan last December. Shane Daley, 40, allegedly left a series of threatening and abusive voicemails for Paulette Thompson just hours after her husband’s murder.
According to the criminal complaint filed in federal court, Daley called Mrs. Thompson’s Minnesota office phone multiple times on December 4th and 7th.
The messages were laced with profanity and disturbing threats, with Daley reportedly saying things like, “This s— is gonna keep happening to you f—— p—–,” and “You all deserve to f—— die and burn in hell.” He also reportedly mocked a public statement Mrs.
Thompson made after her husband’s death and made derogatory comments about the Thompson children.
The FBI linked Daley to the calls through his cell phone number and confirmed his identity through voice recognition. When initially questioned, Daley denied making the calls but later admitted it was possible, claiming he had been drinking heavily at the time.
Daley appeared before a magistrate judge in Albany on Wednesday and was released under several conditions, including GPS monitoring and prohibitions on firearms and alcohol consumption. He faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.
“These calls were not just callous; they were terrifying threats directed at a family already grappling with an unimaginable loss,” said Christopher Raia, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York office. Acting U.S.
Attorney John Sarcone echoed this sentiment, stating that Daley “gleefully welcomed this tragedy and did all that he could to increase the Thompson family’s pain and suffering.” The U.S.
Attorney’s office has pledged to hold Daley accountable for his “vicious and outrageous conduct.”
Meanwhile, the man accused of Thompson’s murder, Luigi Mangione, 27, faces separate charges in both federal and state courts. Federal prosecutors have indicated they will seek the death penalty if Mangione is convicted.