California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff was arrested and later indicted on federal corruption charges, almost a year after she revealed she was being investigated to Newsom’s office. As a result of spilling the beans about the investigation, she was placed on leave. Dana Williamson was accused of helping to put together a scheme to steal campaign money from former Health Secretary Xavier Becerra.
Williamson allegedly filled out fraudulent tax forms for personal expenses and made a number of false statements to local law enforcement officers. It’s important to point out that neither Becerra nor Newsom have been accused of any wrongdoing in the matter. Becerra, who is currently running for governor in the Golden State, referred to the news of Williamson’s arrest as a “gut punch.”
Following Williamson’s indictment, Newsom’s office informed the media that she no longer worked in the office, going on to reveal that she had been placed on leave in November 2024 after disclosing that she was the subject of a criminal investigation. Her leave was not made public at the time. The office did, however, announce her firing from the position and announced the hiring of a new chief of staff in December 2024.
According to the Associated Press, Williamson was a power broker for the Democratic Party, having served as an adviser to former Gov. Gray Davis and as a Cabinet secretary for former Gov. Jerry Brown. She later opened up her own political affairs firm. Williamson also worked as Becerra’s campaign manager when he ran for California attorney general in 2013.
In late 2022, Williamson became Newsom’s chief of staff, a position she only held for two years. Many have described Williamson’s style as being both savvy and aggressive, noting her as a person who wasn’t afraid to get into a verbal scrap, both in private and in public, with individuals who disagreed with her. Federal authorities stated that the investigation into the former chief of staff began while former President Joe Biden was in office.
Williamson’s indictment includes a total of 23 charges of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruct justice, submitting false tax returns, and making false statements. She pleaded not guilty to all charges in a federal court. The scheme involved the creation of a plan to help Sean McCluskie, a longtime aide for Becerra, siphon off $225,000 from one of his dormant state campaign accounts to cushion his salary after he took a job as a chief of staff in Washington.
Newsom’s former chief of staff then allegedly made plans for another individual, a former public official who remains unnamed, to take over the operation before joining Newsom’s office. Williamson falsified a number of business contracts that were connected to Paycheck Protection Program loans that her company received during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. She is also being accused of filing fraudulent tax forms from 2021 to 2023, claiming over $1 million in business deductions for personal expenses.
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Those expenses included luxury items like fancy handbags and jewelry, travel on private jets, vacations in Mexico, the installation of a home HVAC system, and several hundred thousand dollars paid to family members for fake jobs. If Williamson is convicted of her crimes, she could face up to two decades behind bars.
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