Ex-Newsom Aide Pleads Guilty to 3 Fraud Felonies

In Sacramento federal court on Thursday, Dana Williamson, a former chief of staff to California Governor Gavin Newsom and onetime political consultant for gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra, pleaded guilty to three felony charges stemming from a public corruption investigation.

Williamson, 53, admitted to conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, filing a false tax return and making false statements to FBI agents. As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed 20 of the original 23 counts against her. She faces a maximum penalty of 38 years in prison and fines up to $1.35 million. The deal requires her to pay $225,000 in restitution to Becerra and $500,000 to the IRS. Her co-conspirators, Becerra's former chief of staff Sean McCluskie and lobbyist Greg Campbell, have already pleaded guilty and face sentencing on June 4.

According to court documents and federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of California, Williamson and others diverted approximately $225,000 from Becerra's dormant state campaign account between February 2022 and September 2024. The funds, charged at about $10,000 per month under the guise of legal compliance work, were funneled through business...