Newsom’s former chief of staff charged with corruption, bank fraud

from Maya S. MillerCalMatters

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Gov. Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, and three co-conspirators were indicted Wednesday on 23 counts of wire and wire fraud allegedly committed from 2022 to 2024 during her tenure as governor.

The indictment alleges that Williamson, a longtime Democratic strategist, worked with Greg Campbell, a prominent Sacramento lobbyist, and Sean McCluskey, former chief of staff to former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, and two other unnamed co-conspirators to steal $225,000 from an unnamed former staffer for the Personal Use campaign account of McCluskie.

“Collectively, they funneled the money through various business entities and disguised it as payment for what was in reality absenteeism,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel in Sacramento said in a news release.

Prosecutors allege that Williamson and one of the unnamed co-conspirators, described only as a former California state employee who owned a political consulting firm, used their political strategy firms to transfer money from a campaign account believed to be Becerra’s to an account controlled by McCluskey. They allegedly disguised the funds as payments to McCluskey’s wife, who is described in the indictment as a stay-at-home parent.

Williamson is also accused of falsely claiming more than $1.7 million in business expenses on her taxes. She used the funds to buy luxury handbags, charter planes and a birthday trip to Mexico worth nearly $170,000, the indictment said.

Williamson, who previously held a senior position in Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration, was well known for her negotiating skills. As she left his office, Newsom said in a statement that he would miss her “insight, tenacity and big heart.”

The indictment said Becerra had no knowledge of the scheme, and he confirmed that Wednesday afternoon in a written statement through his spokesman, Owen Kilmer.

“Today’s news of formal allegations of impropriety by a longtime trusted adviser is gut-wrenching,” said Becerra, a prominent candidate to succeed Newsom in next year’s gubernatorial election. He added that he has cooperated fully with the US Department of Justice and will continue to do so.

“As the former Attorney General of California, I fully understand the importance of this investigation and legal process moving through our justice system.”

Williamson was scheduled to appear in federal court Wednesday afternoon.

A spokesman for Newsom distanced the governor from his former top aide.

“While we are still learning the details of the allegations, the governor expects all public officials to uphold the highest standards of integrity,” Izzy Gordon, Newsom’s spokeswoman, said in a written statement.

“At a time when the president is openly calling on his attorney general to investigate his political enemies, it is especially important to honor the American principle of innocent until proven guilty in a jury trial,” the statement said.

Patel, the special agent in charge, said in a news release that the charges were “the result of three years of relentless investigative work.”

“The FBI will remain vigilant in its efforts to uncover fraud and corruption, ensuring that our government systems meet the highest standards.”

This article was originally published on CalMatters and is republished under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives license.