Overview

• U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner ordered Brian K. Williams to one year of federal probation, 50 hours of community service, and a $5,000 fine.
• Williams pleaded guilty to a single federal count of making threats regarding fire and explosives.
• Prosecutors say he used Google Voice on his personal phone during an Oct. 3, 2024 virtual meeting to call his city-issued phone, then falsely told LAPD an unknown man threatened to bomb City Hall.
• LAPD searched the building and found no devices, and prosecutors said there was no evidence he intended to carry out violence.
• Court filings attribute the hoax to acute stress and mental-health problems; the FBI later searched his Pasadena home, he was placed on leave, retired in April, and Mayor Karen Bass named Robert Clark as his replacement.