FBI Raids Home of Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Brian Williams Accused of Making Bomb Threat Against City Hall

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass confirmed on Wednesday that Deputy Mayor Brian Williams is under investigation by the FBI over allegations that he called in a fake bomb threat to the Los Angeles City Hall earlier this year. The FBI is taking over the investigation from the LAPD.

Williams has been the Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles since February 2023 when Bass named him as the deputy mayor of public safety. Under this role, Williams oversaw multiple law enforcement and first responder agencies, including the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles Fire Department, the Port of Los Angeles Police, the Los Angeles World Airport Police, and the Emergency Management Department. Previously, Williams had been the Executive Director of the Los Angeles County Civilian Oversight Commission, a position he had held since December 2016.

Earlier this year, a bomb threat was called in to Los Angeles City Hall for currently unknown reasons. While there was no threat, the LAPD subsequently investigated the false claim. Soon, Williams’ name came up as a possible suspect. As soon as he was seen as the “likely source of the threat,” the LAPD referred the case to the FBI because of possible conflicts of interest with Williams overseeing the LAPD as part of his job.

The FBI quickly ramped up the investigation. This included leading a search on Williams home on Tuesday. With the FBI now obviously involved, Mayor Bass confirmed on Wednesday that the FBI is now in charge of the investigation, and that Williams was placed on leave.

“The Mayor’s Office was notified that the FBI searched Williams’ home Tuesday as part of their investigation,” said Deputy Mayor of Communications Zach Seidl on Wednesday. “The mayor takes this matter very seriously. When the threat was reported, LAPD investigated and determined there was no immediate danger. Following additional investigation, LAPD referred this matter to the FBI for further investigation.”

The LAPD also confirmed the investigation on Wednesday, adding in their own statement. “Due to the department’s working relationship with Mr. Williams, the investigation was referred to the FBI. The FBI remains the investigating agency. No additional information is being released.”

As of Wednesday evening, the date and time of the threat have not been disclosed, along with other details of the threat. However, with Williams now out on leave, it is possible that he may be out of the office soon, especially if the investigation leads to charges or other legal action.

“I would say he is on thin ice, but at this point, it’s a lake,” explained Russ Santos, a law enforcement staffing advisor, to the Globe on Wednesday. “Everyone has been doing everything correctly. The LAPD investigated, and then handed it off when it turned out their overseer might have done it.

“Williams, of course, is going to face heat for this. But Bass might catch some hell too, as she was the one who put him in. They said she’s taking this seriously. I mean, of course she is. She doesn’t want any blowback from this, one of her picks calling in a fake bomb threat. We’ll get more on this soon. The FBI doesn’t play.”

As of Wednesday evening, the FBI hasn’t commented on the investigation.