The Department of Justice has charged former Florida congressional candidate William Robert Braddock III for threatening to unleash his “Russian-Ukrainian hit squad” on his Republican primary opponent, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna.

The indictment alleges that Braddock made alarming threats during a phone call, promising to harm both Luna and another individual referred to as Victim 2, who is a private citizen and acquaintance of Luna.

Following this menacing conversation, Braddock fled the United States but was later located and arrested in the Philippines in 2023. He was deported back to the U.S. and made his first court appearance in Los Angeles on September 27. Charged with one count of interstate transmission of a true threat, Braddock faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

The investigation is being conducted by a joint task force comprising the FBI and the St. Petersburg Police Department, focusing on election-related threats. Luna and Braddock both contested in the 2021 Republican primary for Florida’s 13th congressional district, a race that Luna ultimately won with the endorsement of Donald Trump.

In a dramatic twist, Luna had previously accused Braddock of stalking her and threatening her life, even seeking a permanent restraining order against him. Recorded conversations revealed Braddock’s alarming comments about his supposed access to assassins, including a chilling remark: “I really don’t want to have to end anybody’s life… But if it needs to be done, it needs to be done. Luna is a f—ing speed bump in the road.”

While Braddock denied discussing the call with the media and suggested that the recording could have been altered, Luna was ultimately denied a permanent restraining order against him.

In the midst of this ongoing case, Luna, who is running for reelection, recently reported receiving a “very serious shooting threat.” She took to social media, expressing her determination not to be intimidated: “This division and hate campaign against Republicans is going to get someone killed… I will not be threatened, intimidated, or bow down to those using violence as a means to push their agenda.”

As the political climate grows increasingly charged, this story highlights the alarming intersection of politics and personal safety. Luna, a staunch ally of Trump, also claimed to have faced doxxing and received threatening packages at her Florida home, further underscoring the tensions in today’s political landscape.