Florida congressional candidate charged for threatening to kill opponent

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced an unsealed indictment charging a Florida man with threatening to kill his primary opponent in the state’s 13th Congressional District, as well as a private citizen who was also an acquaintance of the opponent in 2021.

The Justice Department’s press release did not name the two alleged victims.

William Robert Braddock III of St. Petersburg, Fla., was charged with one count of interstate transmission of a true threat to injure another person. He could face a maximum of five years in prison.

The DOJ said the indictment revealed Braddock made “several threats to injure” the two victims in a phone call to the victim who was a private citizen and acquaintance of the opponent.

Braddock ran against Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) during the 2022 primary, and she won the seat.

In 2021, NBC reported Luna had claimed in court documents that Braddock “[was] stalking her and [wanted] her dead.” She had filed a petition for a permanent restraining order, to which the judge granted a temporary one for her and a friend of hers following the allegations.

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

The release noted that following the threats, Braddock left the U.S. and was later found living in the Philippines. He was recently deported from the country and had his first court appearance in Los Angeles on Thursday.

The FBI’s Tampa field office is investigating the case with support from the St. Petersburg Police Department, the DOJ said. NBC reported that it is unclear whether Braddock has entered a plea .

The Hill has contacted Luna’s press office for comment. Braddock could not be immediately reached for comment.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.