Brian K. Williams, a former deputy mayor of Los Angeles, is expected to plead guilty to a felony charge for reporting a fictitious bomb threat to City Hall last year.
Williams, 61, from Pasadena, agreed to enter the plea in downtown Los Angeles to a single count of threats involving fire and explosives, which could result in a prison sentence of up to 10 years, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The incident occurred on October 3, 2024, while Williams was serving under Mayor Karen Bass as deputy mayor of public safety.
On that day, he made a call to the Los Angeles Police Department’s chief of staff, falsely claiming to have received a bomb threat via his city-issued phone from an unidentified male.
Approximately ten minutes later, he sent a text message to Bass and several other senior city officials, alleging, “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’s 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.”
Williams subsequently sent more text messages to Bass and other officials indicating, “At this time, there is no need for us to evacuate the building; I’m meeting with the threat management officers within the next 10 minutes. In light of the Jewish holidays, we are taking this (threat) a little more seriously. I will keep you posted.”
In response to Williams’s report, LAPD officers were dispatched to City Hall to investigate the supposed threat.
After a thorough search of the building, police found no suspicious packages or devices.
Williams relayed details about the threatening call to the authorities, even showing them a record of an incoming call that appeared as a blocked number on his city-issued cell phone.
He claimed this was the call from the unknown man delivering the threat.
However, federal prosecutors revealed that the call record represented a call that Williams had placed to himself using the Google Voice application on his personal cell phone.
According to the plea agreement filed in federal court, Williams did not actually intend to execute the threat.
In the wake of the allegations, Williams quietly retired from city government in April.
Before his retirement, he had been placed on administrative leave during the FBI’s investigation into the bomb threat.
Zach Seidl, a spokesperson for Mayor Bass, expressed disappointment, saying, “Like many, we were shocked when these allegations were first made and we are saddened by this conclusion.”
Williams had joined Bass’s office in March 2023, with responsibilities involving crucial safety departments, including the police and fire departments, Los Angeles World Airports police, and emergency services.
Prior to his appointment, he served for seven years as the executive director of the Los Angeles County Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission.
Williams also held the position of deputy mayor under Mayor James Hahn, where his duties included managing and overseeing the Department of Transportation, Public Works, and the Information Technology Agency.
In a statement, Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, condemned Williams’s actions, stating, “Mr. Williams, the former deputy mayor of public safety for Los Angeles, not only betrayed the residents of Los Angeles but also responding officers and the integrity of the office itself by fabricating a bomb threat.
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.”
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