AAP FACTCHECK – The shooting of an American health executive has sparked a series of conspiracy theories that have spread around the globe.
Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was shot and killed in New York on December 4, 2024. On December 9, police arrested and charged 26-year-old Luigi Mangione.
The various falsehoods that have since come to light include fake social media posts, misrepresented videos and even references to shady links to the Democrats.
One viral post includes a video purportedly showing Mr. Thompson bragging about corporate ties to former Speaker and Democratic Representative Nancy Pelosi, who is a frequent subject of conspiracy theories.
In the clip, the man, believed to be Mr. Thompson, says that Ms. Pelosi “worked for us.”
However, this is not the same Brian Thompson.
The original video is from an entrepreneurship workshop held at Wharton University of Pennsylvania in March 2012.
The speaker in the video is also named Brian Thompson, but LinkedIn reveals that he is a Wharton graduate and is currently an independent director and “innovation partner” at companies called Alpha Studio and Bridge to Renewables, respectively.
Other false posts claim that UnitedHealthcare posted a job opening for the CEO position shortly after Mr. Thompson's death.
In a screenshot shared on Instagram, the job appears to have been posted on LinkedIn and promises a salary of $300,000 to $450,000.
However, there is no such listing on UnitedHealthcare's LinkedIn page or website, a spokesperson confirmed AAP Fact Check The screenshot was fake.
Other posts show New Yorkers allegedly partying and dancing in the streets during the shooting.
A video on Instagram shows people dancing and singing to the song “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield, with the caption: “NYC comes together to dance in the streets about universal American love.” [dead] CEOS.”
One user commented: “How dare you celebrate this!”
But the video was posted on Instagram in November, more than a week before the shooting, and shows a wave of fans dancing in the street after attending a Bedingfield concert.
Users also shared an
However, the post is wrong.
A Burger King spokesperson told Verify that the post did not come from the official Burger King X account.
The image contains errors that suggest it is a fake screenshot, including the presence of “retweets” and “quote tweets,” terms that were removed when the platform was renamed to X.
The verdict
INCORRECT – The allegations are inaccurate.
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