Federal officials arrested a former chief of staff to California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday, charging her with conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, submitting false tax returns and making false statements, among other charges, according to court filings.
The 23-count indictment unsealed Wednesday alleges that Dana Williamson conspired from February 2022 through September 2024 with Sean McCluskie, a former chief of staff for then-U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra, and other associates to divert $225,000 from a dormant campaign account to McCluskie’s wife for what law enforcement officials described as a “no-show job.”
Federal officials arrested a former chief of staff to California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday, charging her with conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, submitting false tax returns and making false statements, among other charges, according to court filings.
The 23-count indictment unsealed Wednesday alleges that Dana Williamson conspired from February 2022 through September 2024 with Sean McCluskie, a former chief of staff for then-U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra, and other associates to divert $225,000 from a dormant campaign account to McCluskie’s wife for what law enforcement officials described as a “no-show job.”
Williamson served as Newsom’s chief of staff through much of that period, but the charges against her do not involve her work for Newsom. Becerra appears to have been a victim, according to the indictment.
The dormant campaign account appears to belong to Becerra, who is now running for governor of California. Becerra was not named in the court documents. But it appears he is the person identified as a “Public Official 1,” because McCluskie was working as Becerra’s chief of staff at that time and had been his longtime employee, as described in the court filings.
McCluskie had been tasked by Becerra with ensuring that the funds in the dormant campaign account, which he had accumulated while serving in public office in California, were monitored by a third party while he was serving as a federal official, according to the indictment. Williamson is accused of conspiring with McCluskie “to steal money from Public Official 1’s dormant campaign accounts for McCluskie’s own benefit.”
The money was covertly funneled through companies controlled by Williamson and others “to hide the money’s origin and avoid detection,” according to the indictment. It was disguised as pay to McCluskie’s spouse for a no-show job and transferred into an account controlled by McCluskie, the indictment states.
Law enforcement officials allege that Williamson and McCluskie intentionally misrepresented and concealed facts from Becerra — representing that the money from the dormant campaign accounts was being used for consulting services.
Williamson entered a not-guilty plea at a court hearing Wednesday. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
McCluskie signed a guilty plea for conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud on Oct. 30, according to a copy of the plea agreement. He could not be reached for comment.
Becerra said in a statement that “the news today of formal accusations of impropriety by a long-serving trusted adviser are a gut punch.”
“I have voluntarily cooperated with the U.S. Department of Justice in their investigation, and will continue to do so,” Becerra said in the statement. “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.”
A Newsom spokesperson noted in a statement that 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 spokesperson said. “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.”
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