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The former Florida congressional candidate who threatened to kill Representative Anna Paulina Luna during the 2021 primary campaign has been sentenced to three years in federal prison.
William Robert Braddock III was sentenced in federal court after pleading guilty to one count of interstate transmission of a threat to injure. According to court documents, during his campaign for Florida’s 13th Congressional District, Braddock saw Luna as “his only obstacle to winning that race.” Luna went on to win the Republican primary and the general election. She was re-elected last year.
During a phone call in 2021 with an acquaintance of Luna’s, Braddock threatened to have her killed if she continued performing well in the polls. In the recorded call, first reported by Politico, Braddock said he would “call up” his “Russian-Ukrainian hit squad” to make Luna “disappear.”
"Luna's gonna go down and I hope it's by herself," Braddock was recorded saying. "For the better or the good of the majority of the people, we've got to sacrifice the few."
“I will be the next congressman for this District. Period. End of discussion. And anybody going up against me is f*cking ignorant for doing so,” he further stated, according to court documents.
Despite the threat, no evidence was found linking Braddock to any foreign organized crime groups or showing that he took steps to carry out the threat, a report by the Associated Press noted.
After the threats became public, Braddock fled to Thailand and then to the Philippines. He remained there until June 2023, when he self-surrendered to authorities in Manila. He remained in foreign custody until he was transported to Los Angeles in 2024 to face trial. Braddock's charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
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