Former LA deputy mayor charged with faking bomb threat at City Hall
LA Deputy Mayor admits to City Hall bomb threat
Former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Brian Williams has agreed to plead guilty to threatening to bomb City Hall. He faces up to 10 years in prison.
LOS ANGELES - Brian Williams, the former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor of Public Safety, pleaded guilty to faking a bomb threat at LA City Hall.
What we know:
Williams, 61, is charged in a single-count information with threats regarding fire and explosives. He agreed to plead guilty to the felony charge, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
On October 3, 2024, while participating in a virtual meeting at work, Williams used Google Voice on his personal cellphone to place a call to his city-issued cellphone. According to the DOJ, Williams then left the virtual meeting and placed a call to the LAPD Chief of Staff and falsely stated that he had just received a call on his city-issued cellphone from an unknown man who threatened to bomb City Hall.
About 10 minutes later, Williams sent a text to Mayor Karen Bass and other city officials to report the false bomb threat. According to a statement from the DOJ, the message read "Bomb threat: I received phone call on my city cell at 10:48 am this morning. The male caller stated that ‘he was tired of the city support of Israel, and he has decided to place a bomb in City Hall. It might be in the rotunda.’ I immediately contacted the chief of staff of LAPD, they are going to send a number of officers over to do a search of the building and to determine if anyone else received a threat."
LAPD then searched the building and did not find any suspicious packages or devices. Williams described to police the threatening call and showed them the incoming call. He then sent a follow-up text to Bass and others saying there was no need to evacuate the building.
What we don't know:
It's unclear why Williams decided to place the fake call. Law enforcement said at no time did Williams intend to carry out the threat.
Dig deeper:
In December 2024, the FBI raided his Pasadena house. After placing the fake bomb threat, Williams was placed on leave from work.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: LA deputy mayor placed on leave after allegedly making bomb threat against City Hall
What they're saying:
"In an era of heated political rhetoric that has sometimes escalated into violence, we cannot allow public officials to make bomb threats," said United States Attorney Bill Essayli. "My office will continue its efforts to keep the public safe, including from those who violate their duty to uphold the law."
"Mr. Williams, the former mayor of Public Safety for Los Angeles, not only betrayed the residents of Los Angeles, but responding officers, and the integrity of the office itself, by fabricating a bomb threat," said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. "Government officials are held to a heightened standard as we rely on them to safeguard the city. I’m relieved that Mr. Williams has taken responsibility for his inexplicable actions."