**Florida Man Charged with Threatening Political Opponent with Hit Squad**

The Department of Justice has indicted a Florida resident, William Robert Braddock III, for allegedly threatening to enlist a "Russian-Ukrainian hit squad" to assassinate his political adversary, Republican Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna. The 41-year-old from St. Petersburg was charged on Thursday, according to an unsealed indictment. The incident reportedly took place on June 8, 2021, during a phone call with another individual, referred to as Victim 2 in the court documents.

Braddock and Luna were both candidates in the Republican primary for Florida's 13th congressional district in 2021. Victim 2 is identified as a private citizen and an acquaintance of Luna. In the same year, Luna alleged in a Florida court that Braddock had been stalking and threatening her. She filed a petition for a permanent restraining order, citing text messages she received indicating Braddock's intent to "take me out," a phrase she interpreted as a threat against her life.

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

Following these events, Braddock left the United States and lived in the Philippines. His recent deportation back to the U.S. culminated in his first court appearance on Thursday in Los Angeles. He faces one count of interstate transmission of a true threat to injure another person, a charge that carries a potential sentence of up to five years in prison if he is convicted.

This case is part of the Justice Department's election threats task force, which was established in June 2021 to address and mitigate threats of violence against election workers.