A former chief of staff to the Democratic governor of the US state of California, Gavin Newsom, was arrested on Wednesday (12) and indicted on 23 charges.
According to information from NBC, Dana Williamson, 53, who lives in the city of Carmichael (metropolitan region of Sacramento, capital of California), was charged with conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruct justice, filing false income tax returns and making false statements.
According to the complaint, Williamson diverted more than US$225,000 from an inactive political campaign to an associate’s account for personal use between February 2022 and September 2024.
This money would have been transferred to the account of Sean McCluskie, who was chief of staff for a person identified in the indictment as “Public Official 1”, whose name was not published in the indictment. However, at the time, McCluskie was chief of staff to the then US Secretary of Health, Xavier Becerra, under Democratic President Joe Biden.
Elsewhere in the indictment, prosecutors alleged that on a tax return, Williamson falsely declared more than $1 million in business deductions that were actually used for trips to luxury resorts in Mexico, private jets, designer handbags and jewelry.
Williamson was Newsom’s chief of staff from late 2022 until December 2024. The California governor, who is being tipped as a 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, and Becerra have not been implicated in the allegations.
According to CBS News, Williamson pleaded not guilty at a court hearing held on Wednesday and was released under certain conditions, including surrendering her passport.
In a statement, Newsom’s office said Williamson is no longer part of the Democrat’s administration. “While we are still investigating the details of the allegations, the governor expects all public servants to maintain the highest standards of integrity,” he said.
