FBI agents search home of L.A. deputy mayor over City Hall bomb threat

FBI agents searched the home of a Los Angeles deputy mayor on Tuesday as part of an investigation into whether he made a bomb threat against City Hall, officials said.

Zach Seidl, a spokesperson for Mayor Karen Bass, said she was notified that the search took place at the home of Brian K. Williams, her deputy mayor for public safety, as part of an investigation into a bomb threat Williams “allegedly made” this year.

In a separate statement, the Los Angeles Police Department identified Williams as the “likely” source of the bomb threat.

“Earlier this year the LAPD responded to a bomb threat made against Los Angeles City Hall,” the department’s statement said. “Our initial investigation revealed that the source of the threat was likely from Brian Williams, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety. Due to the Department’s working relationship with Mr. Williams, the investigation was referred to the FBI. The FBI remains the investigating agency.”

Williams has been placed on administrative leave, said Seidl, who declined to provide additional details.

“The Mayor takes this matter very seriously,” he said. “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.”

FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller declined to comment, saying the agency cannot confirm or deny any investigation. Williams’ attorney, Dmitry Gorin, said his client “strongly maintains his innocence and intends to vigorously fight the allegations.”

“Importantly, he has not been arrested, nor charged, and will continue cooperating with the investigation through his attorneys,” Gorin said. “He has a lengthy career of public service and is presumed innocent of these allegations.”

As news of the investigation spread Wednesday, some who have worked with Williams expressed incredulity at the allegation. Pastor Xavier Thompson of Southern Missionary Baptist Church on West Adams Boulevard said Williams has been a “model public servant” — someone who has acted with “integrity in the highest manner.”

Thompson, who worked with Williams while serving on the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Civilian Oversight Commission, voiced dismay that another Black city official is being targeted by law enforcement. L.A. Councilmember Curren Price is fighting felony corruption charges, while former L.A. Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas is appealing his conviction on bribery, fraud and conspiracy charges.

Details about the investigation remain murky. Before the case was turned over to the FBI, detectives from the LAPD’s Major Crimes Division conducted surveillance that led them to conclude that Williams was responsible for the bomb threat, according to a source who requested anonymity to discuss the department’s inquiry.

Williams was described by several people in city government as a soft-spoken presence, someone who had never shown anger, or impulsive behavior, on the job.

“If I had been asked to come up with a list of 100 people at City Hall who would have done this, he wouldn’t even have been on the list,” said one longtime city official, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the investigation.

Peggy Names, who lives next door to Williams in Pasadena, also expressed shock about the investigation.

“He’s not capable of that. It’s ridiculous. They must have the wrong Brian Williams, I’m positive,” she said. “They are a wonderful family. They go to church every Sunday. They’re upstanding pillars of the community, and we’ve enjoyed having them as our neighbors for over 20 years.”

Williams has held a variety of government positions spanning more than three decades. He has spent nearly two years as a deputy mayor in Bass’ office, working on issues such as police hiring, public safety spending and the search for a new police chief.

Williams was a deputy mayor in the administration of Mayor James K. Hahn, who held office from 2001 to 2005. Before that, he spent several years an assistant city attorney in Los Angeles.

From 2016 to 2023, Williams was the executive director of the Sheriff’s Civilian Oversight Commission, according to his LinkedIn page.

Working in Bass’ office, Williams oversaw the Police Department, the Fire Department, Port Police, Airport Police and the city’s emergency management agency, according to his hiring announcement.

When Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman was sworn in this month, Williams was the city official chosen to address the audience on behalf of the mayor.