A former Republican primary opponent to Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida was sentenced to prison for threatening to hire a “Russian-Ukrainian hit squad” to kill her.
William Robert Braddock III was charged with one count of interstate transmission of a true threat to injure another person in 2024 over the threat that was recorded in a phone call.
‘Luna is a f**king speed bump in the road. She’s a dead squirrel you run over every day when you leave the neighborhood.’
Luna had accused Braddock of stalking her and wanting her dead during the campaign in 2021.
Braddock was recorded speaking to a political activist when he threatened to contact his “Russian-Ukrainian hit squad” and have her killed.
“I really don’t want to have to end anybody’s life for the good of the people of the United States of America,” he said on the call that was obtained by Politico. “That will break my heart. But if it needs to be done, it needs to be done. Luna is a f**king speed bump in the road. She’s a dead squirrel you run over every day when you leave the neighborhood.”
However, there was no evidence that the Marine veteran took any actual steps to fulfill the threat.
Luna went on to win the primary election for Florida’s 13th Congressional District and also won the general election. She has since won a re-election campaign.
Braddock was sentenced to three years in prison.
Officials said that Braddock flew to Thailand once the investigation began before eventually settling in the Philippines, but he turned himself in to law enforcement in Manila in 2023. He was brought to the U.S. to face trial in 2024.
Luna’s office released a general statement about death threats to the congresswoman when Braddock was charged.
“Female members of Congress are disproportionately targeted for stalking, violence, and harassment compared to their male counterparts,” said a Luna spokesperson to HuffPost. “This alarming trend points to a broader and more disturbing issue of violence in the political arena.”
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