Like her or not, Anna Paulina Luna just got vindicated

U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna might be breaking out the good champagne after a nemesis who reportedly made a series of serious threats against her was apprehended in the Philippines earlier this month.

William Robert Braddock III was arrested as part of a joint operation among the Philippines’ Bureau of Investigation (BI) Fugitive Search Unit (FSU), the FBI and the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service-Overseas Criminal Investigations, according to the Manila Bulletin.

Braddock, as those who followed the chaotic race for Florida’s 13th Congressional District two years ago may remember, allegedly made a number of threats against Luna. 

A Pinellas County judge approved a temporary injunction order in July 2021 filed by Luna against Braddock. Luna sought the injunction after recordings surfaced of him allegedly threatening to make her “disappear.” 

The recording was secretly taped by Erin Olszewski, a right-wing activist who also sought a restraining order against Braddock.

In the recording, first obtained by POLITICO, a man’s voice (attributed to Braddock by Olszewski) can be heard saying he has “access to a hit squad, too, Ukrainians and Russians.”

“I really don’t want to have to end anybody’s life for the good of the people of the United States of America,” Braddock said. “That will break my heart. But if it needs to be done, it needs to be done. Luna is a f***ing speed bump in the road. She’s a dead squirrel you run over every day when you leave the neighborhood.”

So why the vindication?

St. Petersburg Police closed the case against Braddock and declined to take action in response to the recording. The 14-page police report said investigators determined the comments were “conditional in nature as Braddock mentions the ‘hit squad’ scenario will only happen if Luna polls ahead of him.”

Pinellas-Pasco Executive Assistant State Attorney Kendall Davidson told the Tampa Bay Times at the time that probable cause didn’t exist because Braddock didn’t directly threaten Luna or her family and that he didn’t have reasonable ability to carry out the threat anyway.

The United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida apparently disagrees. Braddock was arrested in violation of Section 875 of the U.S. Code relating to Interstate Transmission of Threat to Injure, according to the Manila Bulletin. 

The arrest report didn’t name Luna, but it referenced an American politician and her associate, so it’s pretty clear that’s a reference to her. 

Braddock was reportedly located in the Philippines and is being held at a detention facility in Taguig City where he will remain until being extradited to the U.S. 

Braddock had previously been running against Luna in the Republican Primary for CD 13, but dropped out after the threatening recording emerged. 

Luna ultimately won the Primary and the General Election, flipping the seat red after a new congressional map changed the district demographics to favor the GOP. She succeeded former U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, a Democrat who didn’t seek re-election in order to run, unsuccessfully, for Florida Governor. 

Luna defeated Democrat Eric Lynn.