A Florida man faces charges related to threats against Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida.
William Robert Braddock III, 41, of St. Petersburg was indicted last week on one count of interstate transmission of a true threat to injure another person, according to a Department of Justice release.
The indictment did not name names, but said a threat was made against a primary candidate in the race for the 13th Congressional District of Florida and a private citizen who was a friend of the candidate.
The indictment said claims to harm the victims were made in June 2021.
The indictment alleged Braddock told the friend of Luna’s he would “call up my Russian-Ukrainian hit squad” and make Luna disappear.
The wheels of justice stopped at that point as Braddock left the country to live in the Philippines.
The Philippines recently deported Braddock, who appeared in court in Los Angeles on Thursday.
A representative of Luna told NBC that she has “faced a growing number of death threats” in the past month, which the representative said was part of the “broader and more disturbing issue of violence in the political arena.”
BREAKING:
William Braddock, 41 of St. Petersburg, FL is heard
saying he has “access to hit squad from Ukrainian-
Russians”…..threatening to make sure “the loser is going
to go down and I hope it’s by herself” speaking of Rep.
Anna Paulina Luna.Pray for @RepLuna pic.twitter.com/bQbhc1N1Dy
— JasonJourno (@journo_jason) September 30, 2024
Are politics becoming more hostile?
A report from Politico said that the friend of Luna’s recorded a conversation with Braddock.
“I really don’t want to have to end anybody’s life for the good of the people of the United States of America,” the recording said.
“That will break my heart. But if it needs to be done, it needs to be done. Luna is a f***ing speed bump in the road. She’s a dead squirrel you run over every day when you leave the neighborhood,” the recording said.
Braddock told Politico in 2021 that the recording “may even be altered and edited.”
Luna is seeking re-election. According to Reuters, she is likely to win her second term in office.
Reuters noted that Braddock eventually dropped out of the 2022 Republican primary for the seat Luna holds.
If he is found guilty and convicted, Braddock could face up to five years in prison, the DOJ release said.
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