From the Sacramento Bee: Federal officials charged Dana Williamson, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff, Wednesday with public corruption, according to a federal indictment obtained by The Sacramento Bee.
Williamson, who left the Governor’s Office in December 2024, is named along with Greg Campbell, Sean McCluskie and two others on conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud. There are 23 counts in total; the 18 bank and wire fraud charges each carry a maximum of 20 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines.
Williamson is expected to make an initial appearance Wednesday afternoon in Sacramento federal court. Williamson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. McCluskie and Campbell could not be immediately reached for comment, and it was unclear if any of the three had yet retained an attorney.
Federal officials allege that once Williamson joined the Newsom administration, she transferred control of the scheme to an unnamed co-conspirator, but remained involved the whole time.
The scandal extends farther than just Newsom’s office, however. The report notes that “McCluskie is a longtime former chief of staff to Xavier Becerra, the former Biden official and California Attorney General now running for governor.”
U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced Wednesday that political consultant Dana Williamson, 53, of Carmichael, was charged by a federal grand jury with conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruct justice, subscribing to false tax returns, and making false statements.
The 23-count indictment was unsealed after Williamson’s arrest Wednesday morning.
A press release on the Justice Department website shares more details on the allegations against Williamson:
According to court documents, between February 2022 and September 2024, Williamson conspired with others to divert approximately $225,000 in funds from a dormant political campaign to an associate’s personal use. Collectively, they funneled the money through various business entities and disguised it as pay for what was, in reality, a no-show job.
The indictment also alleges that Williamson conspired with a business associate to create false, backdated contracts after receiving a civil subpoena in January 2024 from the U.S. Attorney’s Office regarding Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans made to Williamson’s business.
Williamson also subscribed to false tax returns claiming more than $1 million in business deductions for what were actually personal and nondeductible expenditures, such as private jet travel, luxury hotel stays, home furnishings, and designer handbags, as well as deductions for no-show jobs for friends and family.
When questioned by FBI agents in connection with ongoing investigations into the diversion of campaign funds, the backdated contracts, and allegations of public corruption, Williamson made false statements to the agents regarding each of those topics.
Williamson is scheduled to make her initial appearance on the charges at 2:00 p.m. in the U.S. Courthouse in Sacramento.
The indictment states that the funneled funds was disguised to pay McCluskie’s spouse for a “no show” job.
The Sacramento Bee further reported:
The alleged scheme netted about $225,000, the indictment said. In addition, Williamson was accused of falsely claiming personal expenditures as business expenses on her taxes, including $15,353 for a Chanel handbag and ring, a $10,000 payment to a relative, $19,000 for a heating and air conditioning system for her home and $21,175 to charter a private jet.
“Disguising personal luxuries as business expenses—especially to claim improper tax deductions or to willfully file fraudulent tax returns is a serious criminal offense with severe consequences,” said IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Oakland Field Office Special Agent in Charge Linda Nguyen. “IRS-CI will pursue charges against those who deliberately exploit their business for personal enrichment.”
NEW: Dana Williamson—Former Chief of Staff to Gov. Gavin Newsom — was arrested by the FBI today in political corruption case.
US DOJ says she faces charges related to fraud, obstruction of Justice and tax crimes.
She’s scheduled to be in court at 2pm today. pic.twitter.com/dL60bP6QgM
— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) November 12, 2025
JUST IN: Dana Williamson, former Chief of Staff to Gov. Gavin Newsom, was charged by a federal grand jury with conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruct justice, subscribing to false tax returns, and… pic.twitter.com/gzs45qBCxF
— Eytan Wallace (@EytanWallace) November 12, 2025
NEW: Newsom’s former chief of staff Dana Williamson indicted on corruption-related charges
The case appears not to involve her work for Newsom. She is accused by DOJ of conspiring to divert $225k from a dormant political account for personal use.https://t.co/4Xa6ryUAVC
— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) November 12, 2025
READ MORE from the Sacramento Bee.
Follow us on X (Formerly Twitter.)
The DML News App: www.X.com/DMLNewsApp
The Dennis Michael Lynch Podcast archive is available below, with the most recent on top. Never miss an episode. Subscribe to the show by downloading The DML News App or go to Apple Podcasts.
