The Justice Department on Friday announced an indictment charging a Florida man with threatening to kill a political opponent in 2021.
William Robert Braddock III, 41, of St. Petersburg, Florida, was charged with threatening two people, one of whom the DOJ said was his primary opponent in the 2022 election for Florida’s 13th Congressional District. Braddock allegedly threatened to “call in my Russian-Ukrainian strike team” and eliminate the main rival.
The DOJ indictment did not release the names of the alleged victims.
One of Braddock’s main rivals and the eventual winner of the race, R-Fla., Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, contentded Court papers in 2021 Braddock was stalking her and wanted her dead.
In 2021, a Florida judge granted a temporary restraining order to Luna and her conservative activist and friend Erin Olszewski.
Braddock suspended his 2021 campaign shortly after the judge’s injunction.
NBC News could not immediately reach Braddock for comment Saturday. It is unclear whether Braddock has entered a plea.
A spokeswoman for Luna and an attorney for Olszewski did not immediately respond to requests for comment Saturday afternoon.
Braddock told a Pinellas County judge in 2021 that he opposed the order and wanted to “obtain, investigate and confirm” the evidence against him and that he “didn’t know what was in it.”
After allegedly making the threats, Braddock fled the country and was later found to be living in the Philippines, according to the DOJ. He was later deported to the United States and made his first court appearance in Los Angeles on Thursday, according to a DOJ news release.
Braddock is charged with interstate transmission of an actual threat of injury to another person, and faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison if convicted, the DOJ said.
The case is part of the Justice Department’s Task Force on Election Threats, which is being convened to address the issue in 2021. threats targeting election workers. The FBI’s Tampa office is investigating the case, with support from the St. Petersburg Police Department, the DOJ said.
Luna will be up for re-election on November 5. In August, the Republican primary for his seat was canceled after Luna was the only candidate to qualify.