UnitedHealth Group spent nearly $1.7 million on security for its top executives in the final weeks of 2024 following the murder of CEO Brian Thompson, the healthcare conglomerate disclosed on Monday.
Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the company’s health insurance division, was ambushed on Dec. 4, 2024, as he was walking toward the New York Hilton Midtown Hotel for the company’s annual investor conference, Campus Safety previously reported.
Video surveillance showed the suspected gunman, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, shoot Thompson from behind. The suspect then walked toward Thompson and continued to shoot multiple times from 20 feet away before fleeing. Mangione was apprehended five days later at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s.
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Following Mangione’s arrest, police found a two-page handwritten document that condemned the healthcare industry and said violence is the only solution. “These parasites had it coming,” the note reportedly said. “I do apologize for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done.”
Mangione was indicted by a grand jury this month on several federal charges, including murder through the use of a firearm, which carries the possibility of the death penalty if convicted.
UnitedHealth Paid for Security for Top Exec’s Family Members
According to company’s annual filing, it spent $150,951 towards security for UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty, Reuters reports. The filing also shows Witty’s total compensation for 2024 was $26.3 million, compared with $23.5 million a year ago. The company spent an additional $926,989 to protect Heather Cianfrocco, the CEO of Optum, the company’s health services unit.
“We believe that these security services are appropriate and necessary given the risks associated with executive officer positions at the company,” the company said.
The company also paid $207,931 to provide personal and home security services to certain family members of its executives.
Other Large Corporations Increase Security for Top Execs
Just days after Thompson’s murder, NYPD warned there is an increased risk environment for healthcare executives, leading other corporations to increase the personal security of their security executives, CNN reported at the time. For instance, CVS Health, among others, pulled photos of their executives off their websites.
Medica, which has a history of collaboration with UnitedHealth, temporarily closed its headquarters in Minnetonka, Minn., and some corporations added armed security personnel for executives as they traveled and commuted to work. Others increased their monitoring of social media threats.
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U.S. drugmakers Johnson & Johnson and Eli Lilly also increased spending on security for their top executives in 2024, regulatory filings showed last month. In January, organizers at a major San Francisco healthcare meeting increased security for attendees inside and outside the venue.
According to earlier filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, healthcare and pharmaceutical companies have provided limited security-related compensation for its executives.
