Public service is built on the idea that leaders use their power to help the people. When that power is used to fill personal bank accounts instead, the trust of an entire state is broken.
Dana Williamson, a top political operative who served as Governor Gavin Newsom’s chief of staff, just stood before a federal judge in Sacramento. On Thursday, May 14, 2026, she admitted to a complex plot to siphon $225,000 from a dormant campaign account.
She wasn't alone. Williamson worked with other high-level political aides to move the money through a fake job while lying to the IRS about her own luxury lifestyle.
**WHAT HAPPENED
Federal prosecutors spent years tracking a scheme that sounds more like a movie script than a government office. It started when Sean McCluskie, a top deputy to Xavier Becerra, complained about taking a pay cut to work in Washington, D.C.
To "help a friend in a pinch," Williamson used her private firm to bill Becerra’s old campaign account for $10,000 a month. No work was ever done. Instead, the money was routed to McCluskie’s wife to pad their family’s income.
Even after Williamson joined the Governor’s office as his most powerful aide, the scheme continued. She eventually handed the reins to another co-conspirator to keep the cash flowing while she worked at the heart of California’s government.
What the money/evidence shows
- $225,000: Total amount stolen from Xavier Becerra’s dormant campaign account.
- $1.7 million: Total in fake business deductions Williamson claimed on her taxes.
- $504,523: The specific tax debt Williamson must now pay back to the IRS.
- $150,000: Cost of a birthday trip to Mexico that she illegally wrote off as a business expense.
- 3: The number of felony counts she pleaded guilty to, including conspiracy and lying to the Feds.
THE BIGGER QUESTION
How deep does the "pay-to-play" culture run in state politics when the people at the very top are coordinating these schemes? This wasn't a simple mistake; it was a multi-year plan involving some of the most powerful unelected officials in California.
THE OTHER SIDE
Williamson’s attorney argued that she was simply trying to help a friend who was struggling financially. They claim she didn't set out to be a "criminal mastermind" but got caught up in a bad arrangement.
Based on the FBI wiretaps and the list of luxury items, like $15,000 Chanel bags bought with the help of tax fraud, the argument that this was just a "friendly favor" appears very weak.
WHAT HAPPENS NOW
Williamson is scheduled to be sentenced in July. She faces up to 30 years in prison for the fraud charges alone, though her plea deal may result in a shorter stay.
This scandal lands just two weeks before a major primary election for Governor. Xavier Becerra, whose funds were stolen, is a frontrunner in that race. He now has to convince voters he was a victim of a "gut punch" betrayal and not a leader who simply wasn't watching the books.
WHAT WE STILL DON'T KNOW
- Did any other high-ranking officials know about the "no-show" payments while they were happening?
- How many other "dormant" campaign accounts are currently being used as private piggy banks?
- Will this case lead to new laws that stop political consultants from working in the Governor's office?