A former Republican congressional candidate in Florida has been charged with threatening to send a “Russian-Ukrainian hit squad” to kill his political opponent during their 2022 primary race.

William Robert Braddock III, who was recently deported back to the U.S. from the Philippines to face charges, made his first court appearance Thursday in Los Angeles, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday in a press release.

The 41-year-old faces one count of interstate transmission of a true threat to injure another person, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Anna Paulina Luna is seen during a 2020 Donald Trump campaign rally. Luna was campaigning for the U.S. House of Representatives when she was allegedly threatened by her rival, William Robert Braddock III. via Associated Press

Current Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R) had accusedBraddock of stalking her and wanting her dead during their highly contentious campaign battle to fill the Clearwater-area seat of then-Rep. Charlie Crist …

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