Dana Williamson, a former chief of staff to Gov. Gavin Newsom, is set to find out this fall whether she will serve prison time after admitting her role in a corruption scheme that diverted $225,000 from a campaign committee connected to Xavier Becerra, the Democratic frontrunner in the race to succeed Newsom.
Williamson’s sentencing has been scheduled for Sept. 17 at the Robert T. Matsui U.S. Courthouse in Sacramento, after federal prosecutors and her defense team agreed on the timing, according to The Sacramento Bee.
Williamson, who served as Newsom’s chief of staff from 2022 to 2024, pleaded guilty in May to bank fraud, filing a false tax return and making false statements to the FBI. She faces a statutory maximum of 38 years in federal prison and as much as $1.35 million in fines, although sentencing guidelines are expected to call for a far lighter punishment.
The former high-ranking Democratic operative acknowledged that she helped Sean McCluskie, Becerra’s former chief of staff, secretly route campaign funds into his personal bank account. Prosecutors said the money was moved through bogus consulting agreements.
The investigation became one of California’s most significant political corruption scandals in recent years after the FBI quietly brought in Sacramento power lobbyist Alexis Podesta as a cooperating witness. Williamson’s attorney, former U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott, previously told The Post that Podesta — not Williamson — wore a recording device for the FBI, capturing conversations with political figures. Those recordings led federal agents to interview or contact dozens of lobbyists, consultants and other influential players around the Capitol as the probe expanded.
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Scott did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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Federal authorities arrested Williamson last November along with McCluskie and Sacramento lobbyist Greg Campbell. Campbell has since admitted to falsifying business contracts to help Williamson answer a federal subpoena tied to a COVID-era business loan secured by her consulting firm. McCluskie and Campbell are both still awaiting sentencing.
Podesta cooperated with federal investigators and was not charged, according to her attorney.
The FBI recording helped investigators unravel a scheme that reached deep into California’s Democratic political network and triggered one of the most significant public corruption investigations the Capitol has seen in years.
Before joining Newsom’s administration, Williamson built a career at the highest levels of California politics. She advised former Gov. Jerry Brown, managed Becerra’s campaign accounts and worked as a lobbyist for PG&E before becoming one of Newsom’s closest aides.
Williamson’s sentencing comes as federal investigators are separately examining Newsom and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, though neither has been accused of wrongdoing.
