FBI Arrests Newsom’s Ex–Chief of Staff

A former top aide to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) was arrested Wednesday on sweeping federal corruption charges alleging she helped steal more than $225,000 in campaign funds tied to former federal Health Secretary Xavier Becerra.

Dana Williamson, 53, of Carmichael, was taken into custody and appeared in a Sacramento federal courtroom Wednesday afternoon following the unsealing of a 23-count indictment that includes charges of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, bank fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, obstruction of justice, filing false tax returns, and making false statements, prosecutors said.

The Justice Department alleged that between February 2022 and September last year, Williamson and others diverted funds from a dormant political campaign account once associated with Becerra, then California’s attorney general, to an associate’s personal use. Prosecutors said the money was disguised as payment for a “no-show job.”

The indictment also alleges that, after receiving a federal subpoena in early 2024 related to pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program loans, Williamson created backdated contracts to cover-up the scheme. Prosecutors further say she claimed more than $1 million in improper tax deductions for luxury personal expenses, including private jet travel, designer handbags, and no-show jobs for friends and family.