Left: William Braddock looks through papers during a June 2021 hearing, Tuesday, in Clearwater, Fla. (Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP, File). Right: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., arrives before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event at Wilmington International Airport, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Wilmington, N.C. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon).
A former candidate for Congress in Florida has been charged with threatening to kill his opponent — and eventual winner — U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna in the 2021 Republican primary, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
William Robert Braddock III, 41, faces up to five years in prison if convicted, according to the feds. Although prosecutors don’t name Luna in the press release, she has previously filed for a protection order against Braddock. The defendant on June 8, 2021, allegedly threatened to injure and kill Luna and an associate during a phone call. Prosecutors say he said he was going to “call up my Russian-Ukrainian hit squad” and make her disappear.
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After making the threats Braddock allegedly fled to the Philippines where he was arrested and recently deported back to the United States.
Luna and Braddock were running for Florida’s 13th Congressional District to replace then-U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist after he vacated his seat for his unsuccessful bid for governor. Luna won the primary and then the general election. She filed an injunction against Braddock in June 2021 after he made the alleged threatening call and had been stalking her, the Associated Press reported.
“I do not feel safe and I am currently in fear for my life from Mr. Braddock,” Luna reportedly said in her petition.
Luna declined to comment on the indictment to Fox News but a spokesperson issued a statement that said she had been a target of numerous threats in general.
“Female members of Congress are disproportionately targeted for stalking, violence, and harassment compared to their male counterparts,” Luna’s spokesperson said. “This alarming trend points to a broader and more disturbing issue of violence in the political arena. Violence must never be tolerated.”
Braddock faces a charge of interstate transmission of a true threat to injure another person. This case is part of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force which aims to address threats of violence against people in the political arena whether they be elected officials or election workers.
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