A former top aide to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) was arrested Wednesday on sweeping federal corruption charges alleging she helped steal more than $225,000 in campaign funds tied to former federal Health Secretary Xavier Becerra.
Dana Williamson, 53, of Carmichael, was taken into custody and appeared in a Sacramento federal courtroom Wednesday afternoon following the unsealing of a 23-count indictment that includes charges of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, bank fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, obstruction of justice, filing false tax returns, and making false statements, prosecutors said.
The Justice Department alleged that between February 2022 and September last year, Williamson and others diverted funds from a dormant political campaign account once associated with Becerra, then California’s attorney general, to an associate’s personal use. Prosecutors said the money was disguised as payment for a “no-show job.”
Williamson served as Newsom’s chief of staff from late 2022 until November last year. Before that, she was a Cabinet secretary under former Gov. Jerry Brown and managed Becerra’s 2018 campaign for attorney general.
“Ms. Williamson no longer serves in this administration. 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.
Becerra, the former secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services under former President Joe Biden, is not accused of wrongdoing and could not be reached for comment.
The indictment also alleges that, after receiving a federal subpoena in early 2024 related to pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program loans, Williamson created backdated contracts to cover-up the scheme. Prosecutors further say she claimed more than $1 million in improper tax deductions for luxury personal expenses, including private jet travel, designer handbags, and no-show jobs for friends and family.
“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 announcing the charges.
According to prosecutors, four other individuals were charged in connection with the case, including Sean McCluskie, Becerra’s former chief of staff at HHS. The indictment identifies McCluskie and three unnamed co-conspirators who allegedly helped divert the campaign funds and disguise the payments through shell business entities. Two additional defendants were separately charged by information in related cases unsealed Wednesday, reflecting what prosecutors described as an “ongoing public corruption probe” centered on Sacramento’s political consulting circles.
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FBI Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel called the case “the result of three years of relentless investigative work,” while IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Linda Nguyen said Williamson “disguised personal luxuries as business expenses” to evade taxes.
If convicted, Williamson faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each of the most serious counts, though a judge would determine any sentence under federal sentencing guidelines.
