Ex-Congressional Candidate Sentenced to Three Years for Threatening to Kill Rival Anna Paulina Luna

William Braddock, 41, was sentenced to three years in prison for threatening to kill his political rival, Anna Paulina Luna, who currently represents Florida in the House.

William Braddock, a former Republican congressional candidate from St. Petersburg, Florida, has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for threatening to kill his political opponent, Representative Anna Paulina Luna. The 41-year-old was sentenced in a Tampa federal courtroom after pleading guilty in February to a charge of interstate transmission of a threat to injure.

The threats date back to the 2021 Republican primary for Florida’s 13th Congressional District, where Braddock saw Luna as his primary obstacle to winning the race. According to court documents, Braddock made a series of explicit and violent threats against Luna, including claims that he would hire a "Russian-Ukrainian hit squad" to make her "disappear" if she continued to perform well in the polls.

William Braddock, 41, was sentenced to three years in prison for threatening to kill his political rival, Anna Paulina Luna, who currently represents Florida in the House

During a phone call with an acquaintance of Luna, Braddock stated, “I will be the next congressman for this District. Period. End of discussion. And anybody going up against me is f***ing ignorant for doing so.” The call was recorded and later leaked, capturing more disturbing statements such as, “I really don’t want to have to end anybody’s life for the good of the people of the United States of America. That will break my heart. But if it needs to be done, it needs to be done.”

In the same call, Braddock referred to Luna in graphic and derogatory terms, saying, “Luna is a fing speed bump in the road. She’s a dead squirrel you run over every day when you leave the neighborhood,” and called her “a piece of s.”

Luna won the Republican primary and eventually seat for Florida’s 13th Congressional District in 2021

Despite the threats, Luna went on to win both the Republican primary and the general election, securing her seat in Congress.

Following the exposure of the threats, Braddock fled the United States and initially settled in Thailand before relocating to the Philippines. He later surrendered to authorities in Manila in June 2023 and was extradited to the United States in September 2024.

The charge against Braddock carried a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison. His three-year sentence reflects the seriousness of the violent threats made against an elected official and the interstate nature of the crime.