A former top aide to California governor Gavin Newsom has been arrested over federal charges alleging her involvement in a scheme to steal campaign money from Xavier Becerra, the former US health secretary.
Dana Williamson was indicted on 23 counts that include bank and wire fraud and conspiracy to defraud the US, and was scheduled to make her first court appearance Wednesday in Sacramento. It was not immediately clear whether she had an attorney who could speak on her behalf. If convicted, she could face up to 20 years in prison.
Williamson is a longtime Democratic power player in Sacramento. She was a cabinet secretary for former governor Jerry Brown before opening her own political affairs firm. She was also Becerra’s campaign manager when he ran for attorney general in 2018, and she later rejoined state government as Newsom’s chief of staff.
Roughly $225,000 in funds were diverted from Becerra’s political campaign coffers to “an associate’s personal use”, between February 2022 and 2024 – a time that overlapped when Williamson was serving as Newsom’s chief of staff, according to the indictment, which was unsealed upon her arrest.
The charges follow a three-year investigation undertaken by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the IRS Criminal Investigation, according to a press release from the US Department of Justice. They are also a part of an ongoing investigation into political corruption.
The federal indictment indicates there were four other co-conspirators, and alleges that Williamson worked with Sean McCluskie, who was Becerra’s chief of staff at the time of the alleged conduct, and prominent Sacramento lobbyist Greg Campbell. Together, prosecutors allege, they funneled money out of a dormant campaign account disguised as payments for McCluskie’s wife, a stay-at-home parent, according to the indictment.
Williamson is also accused of creating false, backdated contracts after receiving a civil subpoena from the US attorney’s office in 2024 and wildly inflating business deductions on her tax returns, claiming more than $1m for things like designer handbags, private jet travel and stays in luxury hotels.
“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,” said Linda Nguyen, IRS criminal investigation special agent in charge in the Oakland field office, in a statement included with the indictment.
“IRS-CI will pursue charges against those who deliberately exploit their business for personal enrichment.”
Becerra, a former California attorney general who was appointed health secretary by Joe Biden,is not implicated in the indictment.
“The news today of formal accusations of impropriety by a long-serving trusted advisor are a gut punch,” Becerra wrote in a statement to the San Francisco Chronicle. He said that he voluntarily cooperated with the investigation and would continue to do so. “As California’s former Attorney General, I fully comprehend the importance of allowing this investigation and legal process to run its course through our justice system.”
Newsom was also not mentioned in the legal filing and not involved in the investigation. Williamson has not worked with the administration during the last year while she was under criminal investigation.
“While we are still learning details of the allegations, the Governor expects all public servants to uphold the highest standards of integrity,” a spokesperson for Newsom said in a written statement.
Newsom, widely regarded as a top contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential ticket, has captured national attention for his high-profile spars with Trump. The administration has not been shy about launching investigations into rivals. This case, however, began under Biden.
Newsom’s spokesperson still urged caution and a reminder, as Williamson faces her first day in court: “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 Associated Press contributed reporting
