The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested the former chiefs of staff to California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom and former California Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra in a public corruption probe.
Federal agents arrested Dana Williamson, Newsom’s third chief of staff, on Nov. 12 in a public corruption probe that included multiple charges of bank and wire fraud, according to a federal indictment acquired by the Sacramento Bee.
The former chief of staff, who stepped down from her position late last year, was indited with Greg Campbell, Sean McCluskie, and two other former colleagues for conspiracy to commit fraud related to funds in a dormant political campaign account for Beccera.
Becerra, the former U.S. congressman from California and former President Joe Biden’s Health and Human Services secretary, is currently running for governor to replace Newsom, who is leaving office due to term limits.
McCluskie, who was arrested with Williamson, was Beccera’s longtime former chief of staff, while Campbell was the head of a lobbying and consulting firm called Campbell Strategy & Advocacy.
The latest indictments are an embarrassment to the Democrat political establishment in California, as elected officials quickly distanced themselves from the disgraced political operatives.
“Ms. Williamson no longer serves in this administration,” a spokesperson for Newsom told the Sacramento Bee.
“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 spokesperson added.
Newsom’s office noted that Williamson was put on leave “as soon as” she told the governor’s staff that she was under federal investigation and was officially terminated by the administration in November 2024.
According to the Sacramento Bee, the accused face 23 counts, including 18 bank and wire fraud charges that each carry a maximum of 20 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines.
Williamson, who is 53, pleaded not guilty to all counts while in custody at her first appearance at the Robert T. Matsui Federal Courthouse in Sacramento and was released on $500,000 bond.
She had operated her own consulting firm, Grace Public Affairs, before joining Newsom and was previously a senior aide to several high-level Democrat California politicians, such as former governors Jerry Brown and Gray Davis.
Federal prosecutors accuse Williamson and her fellow accomplices of conspiring to transfer control of a scheme to an unnamed co-conspirator shortly after she became Newsom’s chief of staff, in order to illegally divert around $225,000 in funds between February 2022 and September 2024, from Becerra’s dormant state political campaign for McCluskie’s personal use.
McCluskie launched the scheme after he accepted a chief of staff position in Washington, D.C., which paid less than he had previously been making in California.
Despite allegedly handing over control of the wire fraud scheme to another party, Williamson remained deeply involved in the plot.
The court filings also accuse Williamson of conspiracy to create fake contracts to justify federal COVID loans made to her consulting company.
One of the other serious federal charges against Williamson includes providing government information to a company involved in litigation with the state and then lying about it to the FBI.
She further stands accused of allegedly filing false tax returns, falsely claiming more than $1 million in business deductions for personal expenses, including trips to luxury resorts in Mexico, designer handbags, jewelry, home furniture, and travel on private jets.
According to court records, Williamson and other co-conspirators funneled dormant campaign funds through accounts they controlled for the benefit of McCluskie, which were then disguised to pay McCluskie’s wife for a “no-show” job.
The indictment says that McCluskie had worked for an unnamed person referred to as “Public Official 1,” who is presumed to be Becerra, who was serving as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services at the time of the conspiracy.
Williamson also billed the dormant campaign account for $7,500 per month for consulting services, which McCluskie approved.
The indictment said that McCluskie and Williamson had an “ongoing relationship of trust” with “Public Official 1, who would not have otherwise approved the payments.
McCluskie faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a maximum fine of $250,000, while Campbell faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine for each of the two charges to which he pleaded guilty.
Campbell acknowledged his involvement in the conspiracy and said that it was to benefit McCluskie.
His lawyer told the Sacramento Bee in an email that he “takes full accountability for his actions and is cooperating fully with the legal process.”
McCluskie, in a Nov. 5 plea agreement with the DOJ, admitted that that facts of the case as described by the FBI were true, including creating a “no show” job for his wife.
Meanwhile, Becerra said in a statement that he is cooperating with the Justice Department in their investigation and that the news of “formal accusations of impropriety by a long-serving trusted advisor are a gut punch.”
“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.”
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