A former Florida Republican congressional candidate won three years for threatening his main rival
Tampa, Fla. (AP) – A former Florida Republican congressional candidate accused of stalking and conspiring to get his main opponent murdered by a claimed foreign hit rate was sentenced to three years in federal prison Wednesday.
William Robert Braddock III, 41, of St. Petersburg, was sentenced in federal court in Tampa, according to court records. He pleaded guilty in February, demanding that the interstate spread of interstate harm be sent.
In 2021, Braddock and U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna are both candidates for the primary election, representing the 13th Congressional District of Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives. Luna eventually won the primary election and later won the general election. She was re-elected last year.
Investigators say Braddock spent months belittle Luna and trying to inject her life. In a call with Luna's friend, Republican activist Erin Olszewski in June 2021, Braddock threatened to be murdered by the “Russia-Ukrainian Hit Match”.
There is no evidence that Braddock is a former Marine who has such a link in foreign organized crime or has taken any measures to commit a murder.
Later that year, Braddock flew to Thailand and eventually settled in the Philippines, officials said. He stayed there until he surrendered to the authorities in Manila in 2023. Last fall, he was brought back to the United States to face trial.
