It was a cold December morning in Manhattan when the world stopped for a second. Most people know the headlines by now: Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was gunned down outside the New York Hilton Midtown. It felt like something out of a movie, but the reality was much grittier.
In the aftermath, a massive question started bubbling up online and in newsrooms. Was Brian Thompson under investigation? People weren't just asking because of the "delay, deny, depose" messages found on the shell casings. They were asking because, behind the scenes, the corporate world at UnitedHealth Group was getting incredibly messy. Honestly, it's a bit of a rabbit hole. If you’ve been trying to piece together whether the CEO himself was in the crosshairs of the feds, the answer isn’t a simple "yes" or "no"—it’s more of a "yes, and it’s complicated."
The DOJ Antitrust Probe: A Giant Under the Microscope
To understand if Brian Thompson was under investigation, you have to look at the company he ran. UnitedHealthcare is a behemoth. By late 2023, the Department of Justice (DOJ) had quietly re-opened a massive antitrust investigation into the company.
Basically, the government was worried that UnitedHealth was becoming too much of a monopoly. They were looking at how the insurance side (which Thompson led) worked with the Optum side (the part that actually provides care and manages drugs). The feds were suspicious that they were using their size to crush competitors and hike up prices.
While the probe was technically into the company, Thompson was the face of the insurance arm. When the DOJ starts digging into a company's core business practices, the guy running that business is always, effectively, under the microscope.
The $120 Million Question
Here is where things get really spicy. In May 2024, a class-action lawsuit was filed by the City of Hollywood Firefighters’ Pension Fund. This wasn't just some random legal Filing; it was a bombshell.
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The lawsuit alleged that Thompson and other top execs, including UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty and Chairman Stephen Hemsley, knew about the secret DOJ investigation as early as October 2023. According to the complaint, they didn't tell the public. Instead, they allegedly sold off a mountain of stock.
- Brian Thompson sold about $15 million worth of shares in February 2024.
- The timing was... interesting, to say the least.
- This was just weeks before the Wall Street Journal broke the news about the DOJ probe, which caused the stock price to tank.
So, was Brian Thompson under investigation for insider trading? Technically, the lawsuit was a civil matter, but it alleged "fraud" and "insider trading." The DOJ often looks at those civil complaints as a roadmap for criminal inquiries. While no formal criminal charges were filed against him before his death, the legal pressure was absolutely mounting.
The Senate and the "Stain" of Denials
Beyond the stock sales, Thompson was facing heat from Capitol Hill. In October 2024, a report from the Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations dropped a hammer on the industry.
The report showed a massive surge in "prior authorization" denials—those annoying hurdles where an insurer says "no" to a doctor's request for treatment. For many patients, it’s not just annoying; it’s life-threatening. The Senate was looking specifically at how UnitedHealthcare and others were allegedly using AI and strict algorithms to automatically deny care to Medicare Advantage patients.
Fortune later described these investigations as a "stain" on Thompson’s leadership. He wasn't just a witness; he was the guy at the top of the division making these calls.
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The "Delay, Deny, Depose" Mystery
When the shooter—now identified as Luigi Mangione—left those words on the shell casings, it sent a shockwave through the investigation. "Delay, Deny, Depose" is the title of a famous book about insurance company tactics.
It’s important to be clear here: being "under investigation" by the DOJ for business practices is worlds away from the criminal investigation into Thompson's murder. However, the two worlds collided in the public’s mind. The motive, according to investigators, seemed tied to a deep-seated rage against the system Thompson represented.
Mangione was found with a handwritten manifesto that called the company "parasitic." It’s a grim reminder that while the legal investigations were about dollars and antitrust laws, the public "investigation" into the company’s ethics was far more visceral.
Was he ever cleared?
No. At the time of his death on December 4, 2024, the DOJ antitrust probe was very much active. The insider trading lawsuit was still working its way through the District Court in Minnesota. Just months later, in early 2025, the DOJ actually ramped up another civil fraud investigation into UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare billing practices.
If Brian Thompson were still here, he’d likely be spending a significant amount of his time in depositions or consulting with high-priced lawyers.
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What This Means for the Future
The "investigation" into Brian Thompson didn't end with his death; it just shifted. The company is still dealing with the fallout of the antitrust probe and the mounting anger over claim denials.
Honestly, the lesson here for any big corporate leader is about transparency. The lawsuit’s main gripe was that the execs knew the feds were coming and used that info to cash out while regular investors stayed in the dark.
Actionable Insights for the Informed Reader:
- Watch the DOJ Antitrust Case: Just because Thompson is gone doesn't mean the probe is. The government is still looking at the "Optum-UHC" link.
- Monitor "Prior Authorization" Reform: The Senate investigation has triggered a wave of new bills aimed at stopping insurers from using AI to deny claims automatically.
- Check Your Own Coverage: If you’re with UHC or a similar giant, know that the scrutiny on their denial processes means you have more leverage now to appeal a "no" than you might have had two years ago.
The story of Brian Thompson is a tragedy on every level—a life lost and a system under fire. Whether he was a "target" or just a "person of interest" in the eyes of the law, he was undeniably caught in a storm of legal and ethical scrutiny that isn't going away anytime soon.