The Justice Department on Friday unveiled an indictment accusing a Florida man of threatening to kill his 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 elections for Florida's 13th Congressional District. According to the indictment, Braddock threatened to “call in my Russian-Ukrainian hit squad” and make the main opponent disappear.
The DOJ indictment did not name the alleged victims.
One of Braddock's leading opponents and the eventual winner of the race, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., claimed in 2021 court documents that Braddock stalked her and wanted her dead.
A Florida court granted Luna and a conservative activist and friend of hers, Erin Olszewski, a temporary restraining order in 2021.
Braddock ended his 2021 campaign shortly after the judge issued the order.
NBC News could not immediately reach Braddock for comment Saturday. It is unclear whether Braddock has entered a plea.
A spokesperson for Luna told NBC News that her office could not comment on the case, but said the congresswoman has “faced a growing number of death threats over the past month,” which the spokesperson said indicated a “broader and more disturbing issue of violence in the political arena.”
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, review and validate” the evidence presented against him, saying he “didn't know what they have.”
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 subsequently deported to the U.S. and made his first appearance in court in Los Angeles on Thursday, the DOJ news release said.
Braddock is charged with one count of interstate transmission of an actual threat to injure another person, for which he could face up to five years in prison if convicted, the DOJ said.
The case is part of the Justice Department's Election Threats Task Force, which convened in 2021 to address threats against election workers. The FBI's Tampa field office is investigating the case with support from the St. Petersburg Police Department, the DOJ said.
Luna is up for re-election on November 5. The Republican primary for her seat in August was canceled after Luna was the only candidate to qualify.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
