Anna Paulina Luna's former GOP primary rival William Braddock III charged with threatening to kill her

ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA: The Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged Rep Anna Paulina Luna's former Republican primary rival, William Braddock III, for threatening to "call up" his "Russian-Ukrainian hit squad" to kill his political opponent in 2021. 

The indictment, which was unsealed on Thursday, September 26, claims that on June 8, 2021, Braddock III made many threats to hurt and kill Luna, identified as Victim 1 in the indictment, in a phone call with another individual, Victim 2, as per The Guardian.

Braddock III and Paulina Luna were candidates in the 2021 Republican primary election in Florida's 13th congressional district. Victim 2 has been identified as a private citizen and an acquaintance of Luna. 

Anna Paulina Luna said she was in fear for her life from William Braddock III in 2021

The Associated Press reported in 2021 that Anna Paulina Luna alleged in a Florida court that William Braddock III was stalking her and had also threatened to hurt her.

In her petition, she said she received text messages between Braddock III and other people in which he allegedly said that he wanted to "take me out". She added that others informed her that the text "means he intends to kill me."

"I do not feel safe and I am currently in fear for my life from Mr Braddock," mentioned Luna in her petition. 

A judge granted Luna, and a friend of hers, Erin Olszewski, a temporary restraining order against Braddock III. The former marine vehemently denied the accusations and later dropped out of the race citing publicity from the case. 

Anna Paulina Luna's friend recorded a call where William Braddock III threatened to hurt her

Anna Paulina Luna's friend, Erin Olszewski, secretly recorded a phone call with William Braddock III in which he said an alleged "Russian and Ukrainian hit squad" could kill his political rival within 24 hours, according to a Politico report published at that time. 

Braddock III allegedly said in the recording, which Politico claimed to have obtained the recording in June 2021, "Luna’s going to go down and I hope it’s by herself. For the better or the good of the majority of the people, we’ve got to sacrifice the few."

Braddock III reportedly said in a text message to Politico that the tape "may even be altered and edited" and he may bring lawsuits and seek criminal charges against those having the recording. 

He further stated, "This is a dirty political tactic that has caused a lot of people a lot of stress and is completely unnecessary." 

During a September 2021 hearing on whether the restraining order should be made permanent, Luna testified that she only had a brief in-person contact with Braddock III at a political event, but heard from many acquaintances that he was reportedly making threats to have her killed, as per Fox News.

She said in the court, "Mr Braddock clearly hated my guts and wanted to hurt me. I started getting very afraid of him. It was horrifying, and it still is. I think he’s an evil person. I think he has definitely emotionally terrorized me."

In the new indictment, Braddock III is charged with one count of interstate transmission of a true threat to injure another person. As per prosecutors, he faces a maximum of five years in prison if convicted. 

Internet slams William Braddock III as he is charged with threatening to kill his political rival

Netizens hoped William Braddock III would be "jailed" for threatening to kill his former Republican primary opponent Anna Paulina Luna. 

One wrote, "I hope they put him in jail where he can learn some manners," and another said, "ANYONE who is caught threatening a public official should be immediately arrested, charged, and jailed."

A person opined, "Threats of murder, especially through foreign agents is an act of terrorism and should be treated as such in the prosecution and imprisonment of this individual," while someone else mentioned, "It looks like we made the right choice... picking Anna Paulina and rejecting Braddock."

Luna has represented Florida in the House of Representatives since 2023. 

"If he is a Marine and did this, the Marine Corp should review his actions and possibly change his discharge to Dishonorable," remarked another person. One more wrote, "Prosecute and jail! No matter how much people disagree, this behavior needs to stop! A clear message needs to be sent!!" 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.