California Governor Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff Dana Williamson was arrested Wednesday in an FBI corruption probe and charged with multiple counts of bank and wire fraud.
Federal authorities accused Williamson, 53, of participating in a scheme to funnel campaign money from former federal Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra into a personal account. Sean McCluskie, Becerra’s former chief of staff, was named as a co-conspirator.
“This is a crucial step in an ongoing political corruption investigation that began more than three years ago,” U.S. Attorney Eric Grant said in a statement. “As it always has, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to protect the people of California from political corruption.”
Williamson and McCluskie stole $225,000 between February 2022 and September 2024 from Becerra’s dormant state campaign fund, the federal indictment says. The Department of Justice investigation into the matter began three years ago, under former President Joe Biden’s administration, FBI Sacramento Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel said.
“The news today of formal accusations of impropriety by a long-serving trusted advisor are a gut punch,” Becerra told local outlet KCRA 3.
Williamson was hit with 23 charges, including conspiracy to commit fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruct justice, subscribing to false tax returns, and making false statements, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
The co-conspirators purportedly set up a system by which Williamson would bill Becerra’s campaign for her political consulting services, then send the money to McCluskie’s wife. When Williamson became Newsom’s chief of staff in 2022, she claimed to cut ties with her consulting firm — but the indictment suggests that she and McCluskie discussed the alleged scheme well into her time as Newsom’s aide. Williamson was the governor’s chief of staff until late 2024.
“Ms. Williamson no longer serves in this administration,” a spokesperson for Newsom said. “While we are still learning details of the allegations, the governor expects all public servants to uphold the highest standards of integrity.”
“At a time when the president is openly calling for his attorney general to investigate his political enemies, it is especially important to honor the American principle of being innocent until proven guilty in a court of law by a jury of one’s peers.”
The indictment also accuses Williamson of creating backdated contracts so that her business would be eligible for Covid-era Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, and subscribing to fraudulent tax returns for her business from 2021 to 2023. She allegedly claimed on her tax forms more than $1 million in business deductions for expenses that were personal, including luxury accessory purchases, private jet travel, and more.
“Disguising personal luxuries as business expenses — especially to claim improper tax deductions or to willfully file fraudulent tax returns is a serious criminal offense with severe consequences,” Linda Nguyen, a special agent with the Internal Revenue Service, said.
Newsom’s ex-aide faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of bank and wire fraud. She also faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of conspiracy to obstruct and make false statements, and up to three years in prison and a $100,000 fine for each count of subscribing to a false tax return, according to the DOJ.
Along with Williamson, McCluskie, and McCluskie’s wife, California lobbyist Greg Campbell and a former California official referred to as “Co-Conspirator 2” were listed as co-conspirators.