May 23 (UPI) -- A former deputy mayor of Los Angeles has agreed to plead guilty to a federal charge of making a false bomb threat to City Hall last year, the Department of Justice announced Thursday.
Brian Williams, 61, was charged with threats regarding fire and explosives, which is a felony.
The Justice Department said Williams is expected to make his initial federal court appearance in downtown Los Angeles within weeks. The incident occurred during an Oct. 3 virtual meeting while Williams was acting as deputy mayor of public safety, court documents show.
Court documents say that during the meeting, Williams used his Google Voice phone number to call his city-issued cell phone then left the meeting to call the chief of staff of the Los Angeles Police Department to report a bomb threat.
Williams "falsely stated that he had just received a call on his city issued cell phone from an unknown male caller who had made a bomb threat against Los Angeles City Hall," court documents show. "In fact, defendant received no such call. Instead, defendant himself knowingly and willfully made that threat, which defendant admitted was a threat to unlawfully damage or destroy a building by means of fire or explosive."
