The Justice Department has charged William Robert Braddock III, a former primary opponent of Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, with threatening to send a 'Russian-Ukrainian hit squad' to kill his political rival. Braddock, 41, of St. Petersburg, Florida, allegedly made threats to injure and kill his primary opponent during a phone call, stating he would call up the hit squad to make the rival candidate disappear.
Braddock, who left the United States after making the alleged threats and was found residing in the Philippines, was recently deported back to the U.S. and appeared in court in Los Angeles. Luna and a conservative activist, Erin Olszewski, were granted a temporary restraining order against Braddock, who subsequently dropped out of the race.
According to reports, Olszewski secretly recorded a phone call with Braddock where he mentioned the hit squad could kill Luna within 24 hours. Braddock denied the allegations and suggested the recording may have been altered. In court proceedings, Luna testified that she feared for her safety as Braddock allegedly made threats against her life.
Braddock now faces one count of interstate transmission of a true threat to injure another person, with a maximum penalty of five years in prison if convicted. The case is part of the Justice Department's Election Threats Task Force, aimed at addressing violent threats against election workers.
Luna's office declined to comment on the indictment but highlighted the increasing number of death threats she has faced recently, pointing to a concerning trend of violence in the political arena.
