Gavin Newsom’s ex-chief of staff has key sentencing date in corruption case

Dana Williamson, a former chief of staff to Gov. Gavin Newsom, will learn this fall whether she’ll go to prison after pleading guilty in a corruption scheme that siphoned $225,000 from a campaign committee tied to Xavier Becerra, the Democratic frontrunner to succeed Newsom.

A federal judge has scheduled Williamson’s sentencing for Sept. 17 at the Robert T. Matsui US Courthouse in Sacramento after prosecutors and defense attorneys reached an agreement 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 lying to the FBI. She faces a statutory maximum sentence of 38 years in prison and fines totaling up to $1.35 million, though federal sentencing guidelines are expected to recommend substantially less.

The once-powerful Democratic operative admitted helping Sean McCluskie, Becerra’s former chief of staff, secretly funnel campaign money into his personal bank account. The scheme relied on sham consulting contracts, prosecutors said.

The case exploded into one of the biggest political scandals in recent California history after the FBI secretly enlisted Sacramento power lobbyist Alexis Podesta to cooperate with investigators. Williamson’s attorney, former US Attorney McGregor Scott, previously told The California Post that Podesta — not Williamson — wore an FBI recording device that captured conversations with political insiders, prompting federal agents to interview or contact dozens of lobbyists, consultants and other Capitol power brokers as the corruption probe widened.

Scott did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Federal authorities arrested Williamson last November alongside McCluskie and Sacramento lobbyist Greg Campbell. Campbell later admitted falsifying business contracts to help Williamson respond to a federal subpoena involving a COVID-era business loan obtained by her consulting company. Both men are still awaiting sentencing.

Podesta agreed to cooperate with federal authorities and was not indicted, 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.

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