Former Florida Congressional Candidate Sentenced for Threats

A former candidate from Florida’s Congressional race has been sentenced to three years in prison following threats made against his opponent during the 2021 primary election.

William Robert Braddock III, 41, from St. Petersburg, received the sentence in a federal court in Tampa. He faced charges related to interstate threats and entered a guilty plea in February.

According to court documents, Braddock identified Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), a leading Republican in Florida’s 13th Congressional District, as “the only obstacle to winning that race.”

While campaigning, Braddock, who previously served as a Marine, made remarks about Luna and her associates. In a 2021 conversation with a civilian acquaintance of Luna, he issued a death threat should she continue to vote. He ominously referenced a “Russian-Ukrainian hit team,” stating that if she kept voting, “it’s gone.” The details were reported in a Department of Justice release.

After the incident, Braddock fled to Thailand and later moved to the Philippines.

He was apprehended in Manila in 2023 and subsequently extradited to Los Angeles for trial, ultimately facing a maximum sentence of five years behind bars.