The Department of Justice on Friday unsealed an indictment charging a former congressional candidate with threatening to kill his primary opponent and an acquaintance of his opponent.
While the DOJ statement does not name the two victims, reporting from 2021 when the threatening calls took place confirms the identity of “Victim 1” – a current member of Congress.
According to the indictment, William Robert Braddock III, 41, of St. Petersburg, and Victim 1 were candidates in the primary election to represent the 13th Congressional District of Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives. Victim 2 was a private citizen and acquaintance of Victim 1. On June 8, 2021, Braddock made several threats to injure and kill Victim 1 and Victim 2 during a telephone call with Victim 2. Specifically, Braddock threatened, in part, to “call up my Russian-Ukrainian hit squad” and make Victim 1 disappear. After making the threats, Braddock left the United States and was later found to be residing in the Philippines. Braddock was recently deported from the Philippines to the United States and made his first court appearance yesterday in Los Angeles.
Braddock is charged with one count of interstate transmission of a true threat to injure another person. If convicted, Braddock faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. (DOJ)
Braddock was running against Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) in the 2022 primary. In court documents at the time, Luna claimed Braddock “[was] stalking her and [wanted] her dead,” according to NBC News.
Politico reported at the time that Olszewski had secretly recorded a phone call with Braddock in which he said an alleged "Russian and Ukrainian hit squad" could kill Luna within 24 hours. "Luna’s going to go down and I hope it’s by herself," Braddock allegedly said in the recording, according to Politico, which said it had obtained the recording in June 2021. "For the better or the good of the majority of the people, we’ve got to sacrifice the few."
In a text message to Politico then, Braddock reportedly said the tape "may even be altered and edited" and that he may bring civil lawsuits and seek criminal charges against those in possession of the recording.
"This is a dirty political tactic that has caused a lot of people a lot of stress and is completely unnecessary," he reportedly said at the time. (Fox News)
A judge ultimately granted a temporary restraining order for Luna and her friend, Erin Olszewski, after the incident.