TAMPA, Fla. – William Robert Braddock, III, 41, of St. Petersburg, was sentenced today to three years in federal prison for interstate transmission of a threat to injure.
U.S. District Judge William F. Jung handed down the sentence after Braddock pled guilty on February 3, 2025, to the charges stemming from threats made against a political rival during the 2021 primary election for Florida’s 13th Congressional District.
According to court documents and evidence presented in open court, Braddock, who was also a candidate in the Republican primary, viewed Anna Paulina Luna, the party frontrunner, as his primary obstacle to winning the election.
For months, Braddock allegedly engaged in a campaign to disparage Luna and intrude into her personal life.
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The core of the indictment centered on a June 2021 telephone call between Braddock and Erin Olszewski, a private citizen acquainted with Luna.
During this call, Braddock explicitly threatened to have Luna murdered if her strong polling continued. He allegedly stated, in part, that he would “call up my Russian-Ukrainian hit squad” and make Luna “disappear.”
Braddock further asserted his determination to win the race, stating, “I will be the next congressman for this District. Period. End of discussion. And anybody going up against me is f—ing [expletive] ignorant for doing so. Luna’s ignorant, so I don’t have a problem taking her out, but I’m not going to do that dirty work myself, obviously.”
Following the threats, Braddock flew to Thailand on a one-way ticket in November 2021, eventually settling in the Santa Rosa, Laguna area of the Philippines.
He remained in the Philippines until June 2023, when he self-surrendered to authorities in Manila. Braddock was then held in foreign custody before being transported back to the United States in September 2024.
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