NY Man Pleads Guilty to Cyberstalking After UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Murder

ALBANY, N.Y. — Shane Daley, 40, of Galway, New York, pleaded guilty Thursday to cyberstalking a family member of slain UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, admitting to sending a series of harassing and threatening voicemail messages in the days following Thompson’s murder.

The guilty plea, entered in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, comes after Daley was accused by federal prosecutors in August 2025 of repeatedly calling a work phone used by a member of Thompson’s family, beginning just hours after the December 4, 2024, shooting in midtown Manhattan. According to court documents, Daley expressed satisfaction with Thompson’s death and threatened similar fates for the victim’s family and children.

“Shane Daley celebrated the cold-blooded murder of Brian Thompson and senselessly tried to maximize the Thompson family’s suffering,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone in a prepared release.

Thompson, 50, was fatally shot outside a New York City hotel. Luigi Mangione, the alleged gunman, has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial in both state and federal court, with prosecutors stating he was motivated by anger over perceived corporate greed. The case sparked a national conversation about healthcare costs and access, and, notably, drew some public sympathy for Mangione, with some individuals portraying him as a vigilante acting against a powerful industry.

Daley’s actions occurred against this backdrop of heightened emotion and public debate. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York stated Daley admitted to using threatening and harassing language in his voicemails, specifically expressing glee over the manner of Thompson’s death.

The FBI’s New York office investigated the case, with Assistant Director in Charge James Barnacle Jr. Stating, “The FBI does not tolerate those who hide behind screens and keyboards to exploit the suffering of others for senseless torment.”

Daley faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and three years of supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for July 17, 2026.

The case highlights the increasing legal scrutiny of online harassment and threats, particularly those directed at grieving families. U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton emphasized the seriousness of such conduct, stating, “Threats and other acts of violence, particularly when motivated by commercial, social, political or religious factors, are not acceptable in our free society.”

As of Friday, March 20, 2026, the status of Mangione’s trials remains pending, and the Thompson family has not issued a public statement regarding Daley’s guilty plea.