An indictment was made public this week, accusing a Florida man of threatening to kill both his primary opponent in the 2021 election for Florida’s 13th Congressional District and a private citizen who is an acquaintance of that opponent.
The indictment states that William Robert Braddock III, 41, from St. Petersburg, and Victim 1 were candidates in the primary election for Florida’s 13th Congressional District in the U.S, the Department of Justice said. Victim 2 is identified as a private citizen and acquaintance of Victim 1.
In a shocking recorded call with a local activist, Braddock brazenly claimed he would unleash a hit squad of Russians and Ukrainians to take out Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) during the heated 2022 primary for a Clearwater seat, per a report by Politico.
Braddock specifically threatened to “call up my Russian-Ukrainian hit squad” to make Victim 1 disappear, the regulatory authority said in a note. After making these threats, he left the U.S. and was later discovered living in the Philippines. Recently deported back to the U.S., Braddock made his first court appearance yesterday in Los Angeles.
Politico had earlier reported that a conservative activist recorded Braddock advising her not to back Luna—who had been defeated by Crist in 2020—because he claimed to have connections to assassins.
Per a recording received by Politico, he said, “I really don’t want to have to end anybody’s life for the good of the people of the United States of America.” Braddock expressed that it would break his heart, but if necessary, he believed it had to be done, referring to Luna as merely a “speed bump” and likening her to a dead squirrel that one runs over daily when leaving the neighborhood.
Braddock faces a charge of interstate transmission of a true threat to injure another individual.
If found guilty, he could face up to five years in prison. A federal district court judge will decide the sentence, taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other relevant factors, the Department of Justice added.
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Image: Wikimedia Commons
