Sacramento – A veteran California political consultant has agreed to plead guilty to a scheme to steal campaign funds from Xavier Becerra, now a leading candidate for governor, while she served in the Biden administration, according to information filed in her criminal case Thursday.
Dana Williamson would plead guilty to three counts, including bank fraud and lying to authorities. In exchange, the federal government will dismiss 20 other cases against him related to tax filings and federal COVID-era loans he received.
A hearing is to be held in the court on Thursday morning.
Williamson, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff, was arrested in November and has pleaded not guilty. The government in December indicted two consultants who worked with Becerra to extort money from him.
The case against him and an impending plea deal have taken center stage in the California governor’s race as rivals look to impeach Becerra, the Democratic front runner. He has not been charged, and prosecutors portray him as a victim.
Prosecutors say Williamson, Becerra’s then-chief of staff Sean McCluskey and lobbyist Greg Campbell participated in a scheme to withdraw money from Becerra’s inactive campaign account and send it to McCluskey.
According to prosecutors, McCluskey needed the money so he could repeatedly travel home to visit his family in California while working for Becerra, who was Biden’s health secretary, in Washington, DC.
As part of the scheme, Williamson and another consultant charged up to $10,000 per month from Becerra’s account to manage one of his inactive state campaign accounts.
Becerra approved the payment, even though he had never paid such a high amount for a similar job. He told The Times that McCluskey had asked him to pay the fees.
Becerra’s rivals in the governor’s race are attacking him on his decision, arguing that he should have known something wasn’t right. Becerra has said he was not aware of the criminal behavior and has called the charges a “serious blow.”
Known as a tough and aggressive operator, Williamson’s political career also included working for former governors Jerry Brown and Gray Davis and mentoring other women.
Williamson’s attorney, McGregor Scott, told reporters last year that federal authorities initially contacted Williamson to help investigate Newsom. She refused, they said, and was later charged.
Details included in the indictment and other public records show that federal officials were investigating the state’s handling of alleged sexual harassment at Activision Blizzard Inc., a video game company.
