Former Los Angeles deputy mayor to plead guilty to bomb threat charge

Former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Brian K. Williams agreed to plead guilty to a felony charge after he threatened to bomb City Hall last year, according to federal prosecutors. 

Williams, 61 of Pasadena, was formally charged in federal court on Thursday with one felony count of threats regarding fire and explosives.

As part of his plea agreement, he admitted to allegations that he fabricated a bomb threat while serving as Deputy Mayor of Public Safety for L.A. on October 3 of last year.

"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."

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Williams was participating in a virtual meeting in an official capacity when he used Google Voice to call his own city-issued phone. After leaving the meeting, he notified the L.A. Police Department and text messaged Mayor Karen Bass, as well as other high-ranking city officials, claiming a man threatened to bomb the building.

Williams lied to officials, telling them that the man was "tired of the city support of Israel," leading to a bomb being placed in City Hall, prosecutors said.

His communications spurred an investigation in which LAPD officers searched the building. No suspicious packages were found.

Prosecutors said he then showed officers his phone records, which displayed a recent call from a blocked number. It was later revealed that the call came from himself, via the Google Voice phone application.

Williams denied his connection to the hoax in the ensuing months and investigations. In December, his home was searched by the FBI.

Now, after admitting to the crime, he faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.

"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."

Williams is expected to appear in court in the coming weeks.