Former LA deputy mayor will plead guilty to making fake bomb threat at City Hall

A former aide to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Brian Williams, has agreed to plead guilty to threatening to bomb City Hall last year, according to the Justice Department. Williams, who served as the deputy mayor of public safety, has agreed to plead guilty to a single count of “information with threats regarding fire and explosives,” which carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

“In an era of heated political rhetoric that has sometimes escalated into violence, we cannot allow public officials to make bomb threats,” said U.S. 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.”

The incident occurred on Oct. 3, 2024, during a virtual meeting with Williams and others related to his duties. Williams used the Google Voice application on his personal cellphone to place a call to his city-issued cellphone. He then left the meeting and called the chief of staff of the Los Angeles Police Department, falsely stating that he had received a call on his city-issued cellphone from an unknown man who threatened to bomb Los Angeles City Hall.

Ten minutes later, Williams texted Bass and several high-ranking city officials in the mayor’s office, falsely reporting a bomb threat. He claimed that a male caller had threatened to bomb City Hall due to the city’s support of Israel. Williams stated that the bomb might be in the rotunda and that the LAPD had been contacted to conduct a search.

However, investigators determined that Williams never received a call and had fabricated the bomb threat himself. The LAPD responded to City Hall to search for any suspicious devices, but none were found.

Williams described the threatening call he claimed to have received to police and showed them the record of an incoming call that appeared as a blocked number on his city-issued cellphone. Investigators determined that the incoming call record was actually the call Williams had placed to himself from the Google Voice application on his personal cellphone.

Williams then texted Bass and other city officials, stating that there was no need to evacuate the building and that the threat was being taken seriously in light of the Jewish holidays.

“Mr. Williams, the former deputy 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, and I’m relieved that Mr. Williams has taken responsibility for his actions.”

Williams is expected to appear in court in the coming weeks. Bass’ office has not yet responded to requests for comment on the matter.