William Braddock, a former primary opponent of U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), is now facing federal charges for allegedly threatening to hire a “Russian-Ukrainian hit squad” to assassinate his political rival. Braddock, 41, who ran against Luna for Florida’s 13th Congressional District in 2021, was indicted by the Justice Department on charges related to threats made during that campaign.
According to the indictment, Braddock threatened to kill his opponent during a phone call with an acquaintance, identified as “Victim 2.” Prosecutors allege that, on June 8, 2021, Braddock told Victim 2 that he could “call up my Russian-Ukrainian hit squad” to take out his primary rival. The indictment, unsealed in the Middle District of Florida, did not name Luna directly, but it aligns with her previous accusations that Braddock had threatened her life.
After making the threats, Braddock left the United States and lived in the Philippines. He was recently deported back to the U.S. and made his first court appearance in Los Angeles, as reported by Fox News.
Luna, a rising star in the conservative movement, previously sought a restraining order against Braddock, alleging that he had been stalking her and wanted her dead. A judge granted both Luna and conservative activist Erin Olszewski, a friend of Luna’s, temporary restraining orders against Braddock following these threats. The allegations, which Braddock denied at the time, ultimately led him to drop out of the Republican primary.
The threats became public when Olszewski secretly recorded a phone call in which Braddock allegedly made violent statements against Luna. According to the recording, Braddock said, “Luna’s going to go down, and I hope it’s by herself,” adding that “for the better or the good of the majority of the people, we’ve got to sacrifice the few.”
In response, Braddock claimed that the recording had been “altered and edited” and threatened legal action, calling it a “dirty political tactic.”
In the indictment, Braddock is charged with the interstate transmission of a true threat to injure another person, a serious federal offense. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Luna, who testified about the threats in 2021, expressed her fear during court proceedings, stating, “Mr. Braddock clearly hated my guts and wanted to hurt me.” She added, “It was horrifying, and it still is.”
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