SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Dana Williamson, a former top aide to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, has been indicted on federal charges alleging her involvement in a scheme to steal campaign money from former federal Health Secretary Xavier Becerra.
Williamson was arrested and appeared in court Wednesday in Sacramento. She pleaded not guilty to all charges, and a judge ordered her released from custody.
The federal indictment lists four other co-conspirators. It alleges that Williamson was part of a scheme involving Sean McCluskie, who was Becerra’s chief of staff at the time of the alleged conduct.
Becerra is a former California attorney general who was appointed health secretary by former President Joe Biden. He is not implicated in the indictment.
The indictment alleges that Williamson and McCluskie set up a system to take money from Becerra’s dormant campaign account and funneled it to McCluskie, about $225,000 over a period of more than two years.
According to the indictment, Williamson began helping McCluskie in April 2022 by using her political consulting company to bill Becerra’s campaign account for purported services. The money would then be sent to McCluskie’s wife for work supposedly done for Williamson.
When Williamson prepared to join Newsom’s office in late 2022, she arranged for “Co-Conspirator 2” — an unnamed former public official — to take over her role in the scheme.
Williamson told the Los Angeles Times that year that she planned to sever financial ties to her company while working for the governor. However the indictment includes details of emails, calls, and meetings between her and McCluskie regarding the alleged scheme and cover-up while she was Newsom’s chief of staff, a position she held until late 2024.
Williamson was also charged with falsifying business contracts related to Paycheck Protection Program loans her business received during the COVID-19 pandemic. She allegedly asked an associate to create a retroactive contract saying her company provided services to his company so she would be eligible for the loans and loan forgiveness.
The indictment accuses Williamson of filing fraudulent tax forms for her business from 2021 to 2023 claiming more than $1 million in business deductions for personal expenses, including luxury handbags and jewelry; private jet travel; vacations in Mexico; installation of a home HVAC system; and several hundred thousands of dollars paid to various relatives for fake jobs.
During her court appearance, Williamson wore a large gray coat with black glasses and had her hair pulled back in a bun. At one point she appeared to tear up after answering “yes” to questions from Judge Carolyn Delaney. Matthew Rowan, her attorney, declined to comment further.
McCluskie signed a plea deal Oct. 30, according to court filings, agreeing to plead to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud and to pay $225,000 in restitution to Becerra.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Newsom said: “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.”
“The news today of formal accusations of impropriety by a long-serving trusted advisor are a gut punch,” Becerra said, adding that he voluntarily cooperated with the Department of Justice in its investigation and will continue doing so.
The investigation began more than three years ago, FBI Sacramento Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel said in a statement, meaning it started under the Biden administration.
Williamson faces 23 charges including conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, bank fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruct justice, subscribing to false tax returns and making false statements, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
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 Gov. 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.
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Ding reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writer Michael R. Blood in Los Angeles contributed.
