A former Florida Republican congressional candidate, William Robert Braddock III, 41, from St. Petersburg, was sentenced to three years in federal prison in Tampa federal court. He was accused of stalking and plotting to have his primary opponent, U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, murdered by a purported foreign hit squad. Braddock pleaded guilty to sending an interstate transmission of a threat to injure back in February. The incident occurred during the 2021 primary election for the 13th Congressional District of Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives, where Luna eventually emerged victorious.
Braddock spent months attempting to discredit Luna and inserting himself into her life, as per investigators. In a June 2021 phone call with Luna’s friend, GOP activist Erin Olszewski, Braddock threatened to have Luna eliminated by a “Russian-Ukrainian hit squad” if she continued to perform well in the race for the 13th District. Braddock even went as far as to claim that the hit squad could take Luna out within 24 hours. According to Politico, Braddock expressed his hopes for Luna to go down alone for the greater good of the majority, emphasizing the need to sacrifice the few. Despite his claims, there was no concrete evidence to suggest that Braddock had the necessary foreign contacts or took any steps to carry out the murder plot.
Later that year, Braddock traveled to Thailand and eventually settled in the Philippines before surrendering to authorities in Manila in 2023. After being taken back to the U.S. last fall to face trial, he was sentenced to three years in federal prison for his actions. The case shed light on the lengths some individuals may go to in pursuit of political ambitions, showcasing the darker side of electoral competition.
