Dana Williamson, a 53-year-old political consultant from Carmichael, California, has long been a fixture in Sacramento’s high-stakes world of state governance, known for her no-nonsense style and role as a trusted enforcer in California’s political machine.
Born and raised in the region, Williamson built a career spanning over two decades, starting with stints in public affairs and lobbying before ascending to top advisory positions under multiple Democratic governors. Her early work included serving on the staff of former Gov. Gray Davis in the early 2000s, where she honed her skills amid the chaos of his recall election. She later joined former Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration, rising to the role of Cabinet secretary, overseeing key policy implementations during his tenure from 2011 to 2019.
By late 2022, amid California’s shift from budget surplus to deficit and intensifying legislative battles, Williamson was tapped as chief of staff to Gov. Gavin Newsom – a position she held through December 2024, navigating crises like budget shortfalls and policy gridlock while earning a reputation as a blunt, behind-the-scenes operator who could rally committed teams. She departed the governor’s office quietly last year, transitioning back to consulting., but her influence lingered as a veteran of three gubernatorial eras.
On November 12, 2025, when federal authorities arrested Williamson at her home as part of a sprawling three-year investigation into political corruption, and unsealing a 23-count indictment that painted a picture of greed-fueled schemes exploiting dormant campaign funds and tax loopholes. The charges – ranging from conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, straight bank and wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and obstruct justice, filing false tax returns, to making false statements – stem from alleged activities between 2022 and 2024, during and after her time in Newsom’s inner circle.
Prosecutors accuse her of masterminding the diversion of over $225,000 from a long-dormant 2026 gubernatorial campaign account belonging to Xavier Becerra, then serving as U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary under President Biden. Working with co-conspirators including Becerra’s former chief deputy Sean McCluskie – a onetime close ally who has since agreed to plead guilty to a single fraud count and is cooperating with authorities – and lobbyist Greg Campbell, Williamson allegedly used shell companies to bill the account for fictitious “consulting services.”
When a January 2024 civil subpoena threatened to expose ties to Williamson’s own Paycheck Protection Program loan for her consulting firm, she and her allies allegedly scrambled to fabricate backdated contracts to cover their tracks, even pressuring reluctant participants to sign off.
Compounding the campaign fund heist were Williamson’s separate alleged tax crimes, where she wrote off more than $1 million in lavish personal indulgences as business expenses on her returns from 2021 and 2022. These included a $15,353 Chanel handbag and matching ring, a $5,818 Fendi wallet, $12,000 in additional Chanel jewelry and bags, a $20,000 home HVAC system upgrade, over $10,000 at a California theme park, and extravagant birthday getaways – like a $156,000 Mexico resort splurge featuring an $11,000 yacht rental and a $21,000 private jet charter.
Williamson pleaded not guilty to all counts. Her attorney decried the arrest as unnecessary, noting she was no flight risk and had recently been added to a liver transplant waiting list due to illness. She was released on a $500,000 bond, with conditions including surrendering her passport, submitting to drug tests, providing a DNA sample, and forfeiting any firearms – conditions she must fully comply with by November 26.
Newsom’s office, emphasizing that Williamson had left over a year prior and that the governor faced no accusations, reiterated a commitment to integrity among public servants while underscoring the presumption of innocence amid what they framed as politically charged scrutiny. However, according to a report by the Sacramento Bee, a spokesperson said the office put her on leave “as soon as” Williamson informed them that she was under federal investigation, and that she left the administration in November 2024, not the following month, as the office previously stated.
If convicted, Williamson faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of bank fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud; up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of conspiracy to obstruct and making a false statements; and up to three years in prison and a $100,000 fine for each count of subscribing to a false tax return.
The United States concurrently unsealed charging documents related to this case for two other individuals, Sean McCluskie and Greg Campbell, both of whom entered plea agreements prior to the November 12, 2025, unsealing and are cooperating with prosecutors as key witnesses against Dana Williamson.
McCluskie had ascended to chief deputy in the office of then California Attorney General Xavier Becerra by the mid-2010s. When Becerra was tapped by President Joe Biden in 2021 to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), McCluskie followed as chief of staff, serving through much of the Biden administration until early 2025.
While Becerra’s former chief of staff, McCluskie allegedly initiated the scheme in early 2022 by proposing to Williamson that they exploit Becerra’s dormant 2026 gubernatorial campaign account for supplemental income, given his dissatisfaction with his HHS salary; he then approved and received roughly $225,000 in monthly $10,000 transfers funneled through intermediaries. He reportedly pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud and agreed to full restitution.
Campbell, a Sacramento lobbyist, allegedly facilitated the laundering by routing the diverted funds through his consulting firm as bogus fees for his wife’s nonexistent work, then backdating contracts in early 2024 to conceal the scheme when a civil subpoena into Williamson’s PPP loan arose; he also aided in pressuring others to sign falsified documents. He reportedly pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, plus one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States.