A former deputy mayor of Los Angeles who once held responsibility for the city’s public safety has agreed to plead guilty to fabricating a bomb threat that falsely claimed an anti-Israel motive and targeted City Hall in 2024.
Federal prosecutors in California revealed that Brian K. Williams, 61, has been charged with one felony count of issuing a bomb threat involving explosives. The charge carries a potential sentence of up to ten years in federal prison.
According to the indictment, Williams sent a message on October 3, 2024, to Mayor Karen Bass and other senior city officials, claiming he had received a threatening phone call. In the message, he wrote that someone was angry over the city’s support for Israel and had allegedly placed a bomb in City Hall, possibly in the rotunda. Williams texted:
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.
Authorities later determined that Williams had made the call himself using a Google Voice number on his personal phone.
Williams had been selected by Mayor Bass in 2023 to serve in a key role overseeing the police and fire departments, placing him in a position of considerable trust.
This fictitious threat came just months before massive wildfires swept across parts of the Los Angeles region in January, devastating communities, destroying thousands of residences, and claiming 30 lives.
In the aftermath of the disaster, some accused both Mayor Bass and the Los Angeles Fire Department of being inadequately prepared. It remains unclear what role, if any, Williams played during the critical days leading up to the fires, when weather warnings indicated extreme fire danger.
Williams is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles in the near future.
Federal prosecutors emphasized the seriousness of the offense given the tense political environment fueled by the Israel-Hamas conflict.
“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…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, 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.”
Prosecutors have not provided a specific motive behind Williams’ actions, but Davis noted that he was “relieved that Mr. Williams has taken responsibility for his inexplicable actions.”
Williams’ attorney, Dmitry Gorin, told the Los Angeles Times that his client accepts full responsibility, echoing the FBI’s remarks.
“This aberrational incident was the product of personal issues which Mr. Williams is addressing appropriately, and is not representative of his character or dedication to the city of Los Angeles,” Gorin added.
{Matzav.com}