Latest news with #BrianK.Williams
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
That Time L.A.'s Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Called in a Bomb Threat on His Own City Hall
"False flags" are a staple of conspiracy theories. Many infamous attacks and threats, the theory goes, were cooked up by the government itself to spread fear and justify crackdowns. But a bomb threat against Los Angeles City Hall turned out to be exactly that kind of scheme—albeit a poorly cooked up one. Brian K. Williams, former deputy mayor for public safety, pleaded guilty on Thursday to calling in a bomb threat during a meeting on October 3, 2024. According to his plea deal, Williams used Google Voice to place a call to his work phone, then told the Los Angeles Police Department chief of staff and texted other officials that the "caller" had threatened to blow up city hall. Williams implied that the threat was sent in by a pro-Palestinian activist. "I'm tired of the city support of Israel. I have decided to place a bomb in City Hall. It might be in the Rotunda," he quoted the non-existent caller as saying. The meeting was during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and a few days before the anniversary of the October 2023 attacks on Israel. After police searched city hall and found no bomb, Williams showed them the call record from the Google Voice number. He then texted other officials to say "There is no need for us to evacuate the building." But the investigation of the threat didn't end there. The Los Angeles Times reports that detectives "conducted surveillance that led them to conclude that Williams was responsible for the bomb threat." They then turned over the investigation to the FBI, which raided Williams' house in December 2024. He was placed on administrative leave immediately after. As deputy mayor for public safety, Williams oversaw the Los Angeles Police Department as well as the Fire Department, Emergency Management Department, airport police, and seaport police. He was promoted to the job in February 2023 from his previous post as executive director of the Los Angeles County Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission. Williams "not only betrayed the residents of Los Angeles, but responding officers, and the integrity of the office itself, by fabricating a bomb threat," Akil Davis, the assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office, said in a press release. "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." Inexplicable indeed. The plea agreement didn't explain William's motive, and his lawyer Dmitry Gorin simply told the Los Angeles Times that the "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." It's one thing for the government to exaggerate dangers, mix up different kinds of threats, or get swept up in mass panic. It's another for a government official to make up a lie from scratch. Yet that's what really happened in Los Angeles. The post That Time L.A.'s Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Called in a Bomb Threat on His Own City Hall appeared first on
23-05-2025
- Politics
Ex-Los Angeles deputy mayor will plead guilty in fake bomb threat to city hall
LOS ANGELES -- A former Los Angeles deputy mayor will plead guilty to reporting a bomb had been placed in city hall last year to law enforcement, federal prosecutors said Thursday. Brian K. Williams, 31, who was employed as the deputy mayor of public safety in October 2024, was charged with one felony count of making an explosives threat. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. William's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Williams sent a text message to LA Mayor Karen Bass and other high-ranking city officials on Oct. 3, 2024 that he just received a call from someone who threatened to bomb city hall, prosecutors said. '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.',' Williams wrote in the text, according to prosecutors. He said he contacted the Los Angeles Police Department, who sent officers to search the building. Police did not locate any suspicious packages or devices, prosecutors said. Williams showed officers a call he received from a blocked number on his city-issued cellphone that he said was from the person who made the bomb threat. The call was made by Williams himself through the Google Voice application on his personal phone, according to prosecutors. The Federal Bureau of Investigation searched Williams' home in December 2024 in connection to the incident, and Williams was placed on administrative leave.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ex-Los Angeles deputy mayor will plead guilty in fake bomb threat to city hall
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A former Los Angeles deputy mayor will plead guilty to reporting a bomb had been placed in city hall last year to law enforcement, federal prosecutors said Thursday. Brian K. Williams, 31, who was employed as the deputy mayor of public safety in October 2024, was charged with one felony count of making an explosives threat. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. William's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Williams sent a text message to LA Mayor Karen Bass and other high-ranking city officials on Oct. 3, 2024 that he just received a call from someone who threatened to bomb city hall, prosecutors said. '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.',' Williams wrote in the text, according to prosecutors. He said he contacted the Los Angeles Police Department, who sent officers to search the building. Police did not locate any suspicious packages or devices, prosecutors said. Williams showed officers a call he received from a blocked number on his city-issued cellphone that he said was from the person who made the bomb threat. The call was made by Williams himself through the Google Voice application on his personal phone, according to prosecutors. The Federal Bureau of Investigation searched Williams' home in December 2024 in connection to the incident, and Williams was placed on administrative leave. Williams will appear in federal court in downtown Los Angeles in the coming weeks.
New York Post
22-05-2025
- New York Post
Ex-Los Angeles deputy mayor for public safety will admit he faked bomb threat
A former Los Angeles deputy mayor will plead guilty to reporting a bomb had been placed in city hall last year to law enforcement, federal prosecutors said Thursday. Brian K. Williams, 31, who was employed as the deputy mayor of public safety in October 2024, was charged with one felony count of making an explosives threat. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. Brian K. Williams delivers a speech during the graduation ceremony for LAPD recruit class 11-23 at the Los Angeles Police Academy in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, May 3, 2024. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Williams' attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Williams sent a text message to LA Mayor Karen Bass and other high-ranking city officials on Oct. 3, 2024 that he just received a call from someone who threatened to bomb city hall, prosecutors said. '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.',' Williams wrote in the text, according to prosecutors. He said he contacted the Los Angeles Police Department, who sent officers to search the building. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. Andia/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Police did not locate any suspicious packages or devices, prosecutors said. Williams showed officers a call he received from a blocked number on his city-issued cellphone that he said was from the person who made the bomb threat. The call was made by Williams himself through the Google Voice application on his personal phone, according to prosecutors. The Federal Bureau of Investigation searched Williams' home in December 2024 in connection to the incident, and Williams was placed on administrative leave. Williams will appear in federal court in downtown Los Angeles in the coming weeks.
Winnipeg Free Press
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Ex-Los Angeles deputy mayor will plead guilty in fake bomb threat to city hall
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A former Los Angeles deputy mayor will plead guilty to reporting a bomb had been placed in city hall last year to law enforcement, federal prosecutors said Thursday. Brian K. Williams, 31, who was employed as the deputy mayor of public safety in October 2024, was charged with one felony count of making an explosives threat. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. William's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Williams sent a text message to LA Mayor Karen Bass and other high-ranking city officials on Oct. 3, 2024 that he just received a call from someone who threatened to bomb city hall, prosecutors said. '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.',' Williams wrote in the text, according to prosecutors. He said he contacted the Los Angeles Police Department, who sent officers to search the building. Police did not locate any suspicious packages or devices, prosecutors said. Williams showed officers a call he received from a blocked number on his city-issued cellphone that he said was from the person who made the bomb threat. The call was made by Williams himself through the Google Voice application on his personal phone, according to prosecutors. The Federal Bureau of Investigation searched Williams' home in December 2024 in connection to the incident, and Williams was placed on administrative leave. Williams will appear in federal court in downtown Los Angeles in the coming weeks.
