Dana Williamson, a former top aide to Governor Gavin Newsom and a onetime adviser to Xavier Becerra, pled guilty Thursday to conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, filing a false tax return, and lying to the FBI.
Prosecutors say the case includes a scheme to steal $225,000 from a dormant Becerra campaign account.
Williamson's lawyer, McGregor Scott, told reporters they'll argue at sentencing that the whole thing was her friend, Sean McCluskie’s idea. McCluskie, Becerra's former chief of staff, has already pleaded guilty.
Becerra is not charged, and prosecutors have not accused him of wrongdoing. In a statement, Becerra maintained his innocence, saying, “I said from day one, I was not involved, I did nothing wrong, and now the record confirms it. We can close the book on this.”
Williamson was Governor Newsom's chief of staff from 2023 to 2024. Newsom is also not accused of anything in this case.
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