FL Republican Candidate Threatened To Kill Opponent: Prosecutor

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — A Florida Republican legislative candidate faces charges after threatening to kill his primary opponent in the 2021 election for the 13th Congressional District of Florida, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.

William Robert Braddock III, 41, of St. Petersburg is also accused of threatening a private citizen, who is an acquaintance of his opponent.

While the DOJ news release didn’t name his opponent, he faced now-Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) in the primary election.

Braddock is charged with one count of interstate transmission of a true threat to injure another person, authorities said. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

On June 8, 2021, Braddock made several threats to injure and kill his opponent and their acquaintance during a call with the second victim.

He threatened to “call up my Russian-Ukrainian hit squad” and make his opponent disappear, the DOJ said.

After making the threats, Braddock left the U.S. and was later found to be living in the Philippines.

He was recently deported from the Philippines to the U.S. and made his first court appearance Thursday in Los Angeles, prosecutors said.