A Saratoga County man has pleaded guilty in federal court to cyberstalking a family member of a slain UnitedHealthcare executive, prosecutors said.
Shane Daley, 40, of Galway, admitted to leaving threatening and harassing voicemail messages targeting a relative of CEO Brian Thompson, who was killed in New York City in December 2024.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York, Daley made multiple calls between Dec. 4 and Dec. 7, 2024—just hours after the killing—using a work phone line associated with a member of Thompson’s family.
Prosecutors said Daley’s messages included threats and statements expressing satisfaction with Thompson’s death, as well as comments suggesting the victim and Thompson’s children should suffer a similar fate.
Federal officials described the conduct as particularly egregious given the timing and nature of the messages.
“Daley celebrated the cold-blooded murder of Brian Thompson and senselessly tried to maximize the Thompson family’s suffering,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III said in a statement.
The FBI investigated the case, with prosecutors from both the Northern and Southern Districts of New York involved.
Daley is scheduled to be sentenced July 17. He faces up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.
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