DOJ Charges Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s Former Florida Primary Opponent with Threatening to Kill Political Rival
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged William Robert Braddock III, a former primary opponent of Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), with threatening to kill his political rival. Braddock, 41, of St. Petersburg, Florida, allegedly made several threats to harm and kill Luna during a phone call on June 8, 2021, stating he would “call up my Russian-Ukrainian hit squad” to make her disappear.
The indictment, unsealed in the Middle District of Florida, describes the targeted individuals as “Victim 1” and “Victim 2,” with Victim 2 being a private citizen and acquaintance of Luna. Braddock later left the United States and resided in the Philippines but was recently deported back to the U.S. He made his initial court appearance on Thursday in Los Angeles.
Braddock faces a charge of interstate transmission of a true threat to injure another person, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison if convicted. This case is part of the DOJ’s Election Threats Task Force, established in 2021 to address violent threats against election workers.
