Ex-GOP Candidate Gets Prison for Threatening Congressional Rival

William Robert Braddock, a former Republican congressional candidate from Florida, has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for threatening to kill his political opponent. The 41-year-old St. Petersburg resident pleaded guilty in February to interstate transmission of a threat to injure. U.S. District Judge William Jung handed down the sentence on Wednesday, according to the Justice Department.

Braddock was running for the Republican nomination in Florida's 13th Congressional District in 2021 when he made threats against Anna Paulina Luna, who was the frontrunner in that race. Court documents show Braddock viewed Luna as the only obstacle to winning the primary election. Federal prosecutors stated that after months of disparaging Luna to her peers, Braddock threatened during a June 2021 phone call to have her murdered, claiming he would use a "Russian-Ukrainian hit squad" to make her "disappear."

Following the threats, Braddock fled the United States in November 2021, traveling to Thailand before settling in the Philippines. He remained there until surrendering to Manila authorities in June 2023. Braddock was subsequently indicted in September 2024 and deported to the United States to face trial for his actions.

Luna, who was the target of Braddock's threats, went on to win the election and is currently serving her second term as the U.S. House Representative for Florida's 13th Congressional District. The case highlights the serious legal consequences for threats against political candidates, which are prosecuted as federal crimes under laws protecting the electoral process and public officials.