The feds allege that Becerra, a former adviser to Newsom, schemed to fund the luxury

Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff was arrested Wednesday on federal charges that allege she stole $225,000 from the inactive state campaign account of 2026 state hopeful Xavier Bequera and wrote off $1 million in luxury handbags and high-flying trips as business expenses for her tax refund.

Newsom has not been told about the allegations and has not been accused of wrongdoing.

But the attorney for the former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, said that more than a year ago, federal authorities asked her for help with some kind of investigation into the governor.

“She told them she didn’t have any information to provide them, and then we came up with these charges today,” Williamson’s attorney McGregor said in a statement to The Scott Times.

Scott did not provide details about the policy, and it is not mentioned in the federal indictment.

Another source with knowledge of the case, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said federal investigators tried to pressure Williamson to identify Newsom, but that Williamson told them he knew of no wrongdoing by the governor and refused to cooperate.

According to the 23-count indictment, which was unclassified Wednesday morning, political consultant Williamson conspired with Sean McCloskey, Becerra’s former deputy chief of staff at the California Attorney General’s Office, and lobbyist Greg Campbell to bill Becerra’s inactive campaign account for fraudulent consulting services.

Williamson, 53, entered a federal courtroom in Sacramento on Wednesday afternoon looking dapper, wearing a large gray hoodie. She initially remained composed but began to cry softly as the case progressed. She pleaded guilty to the charges.

Scott said Williamson had been ill and had recently been put on the waiting list for a liver transplant.

“In my experience, arrest warrants are only issued for people who have committed violent crimes or are a flight risk. There was no reason for them to contact me, inform me of the charge and let me turn myself in,” he said.

Williamson, McCloskey and Campbell allegedly used shell companies they controlled to siphon money from campaign funds beginning in 2022, when Becerra was serving as Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Biden.

“Today’s news of inappropriate formal charges against a long-serving trusted advisor is heartbreaking,” Basira said in a statement. “I have voluntarily cooperated with the US Department of Justice in their investigation, and will continue to do so. As a former California Attorney General, I fully understand the importance of allowing this investigation and the legal process to take its course through our justice system.”

Federal authorities allege the bulk of those payments went to McCloskey’s wife, then a stay-at-home mom, for the bogus work. McCloskey agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud and is cooperating with authorities, court filings show.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Steve Maviglio, a longtime Democratic consultant who has known Williamson for more than two decades and Campbell closely. “They’re both very good at what they do. They know the rules, so it doesn’t seem like it makes any sense.”

Campbell’s attorney, Todd Pickles, said his client is “fully accountable for his actions and fully cooperating with the legal process.”

“I know Greg Campbell to be a respected public servant and a positive and respected member of the community who has conducted himself with integrity through this deeply challenging process,” Pickles said.

In addition to billing Becerra’s campaign fund, Williamson was accused of falsifying documents to repay a COVID-era small business loan and claiming designer handbags and luxury vacations as business expenses on her tax returns.

Among her counterfactuals: Williamson allegedly bought herself a $15,353 Chanel purse and a $5,818 Fendi wallet; split a $150,000 maternity trip to Mexico, where she charged an $11,000 cruise; Charged a $21,000 jaunt on a private jet. and dropped more than $10,000 at an unnamed theme park in California.

The Paycheck Protection Program was part of a trillion-dollar federal relief effort designed to help Americans and small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Williamson was released on $500,000 bond Wednesday. Judge Carolyn Delaney ordered her to provide a DNA sample, submit to a drug test, surrender her passport and give up any weapons in her possession. She gave Williamson until November 26 to post bail.

News of the charges could further disrupt the 2026 race for California governor, which would be an open seat under Newsom’s terms. Bequera has launched a campaign for the post, as have several other prominent Democrats including former Rep. Katie Porter and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

While Becerra is not accused of wrongdoing in the case, his name being linked to Sacramento insiders accused of political corruption could complicate his race.

The allegation could also spell trouble for Newsom, who has publicly said he is considering a run for president in 2028. Although there is no indication that the allegations are related to the work Williamson did as Newsom’s chief, Republicans and other political rivals may be taking advantage of the scandal involving one of his top former advisers.

Williamson is known as a seasoned political operator in Sacramento and spoke strongly for Newsom. She joined the governor’s office in early 2023 and left late last year.

A former cabinet secretary to former Gov. Jerry Brown who also once worked for former Gov. Gary Davis, she served Newsom during a difficult period for California and the governor’s office, as the budget spiraled into deficits and policy priorities tightened.

“I have had the honor of serving under three governors and when asked what I will miss, my answer is always the same – the privilege of working with some of the smartest and most committed people I have ever known,” she said at the time. She said at the time.

She left her post at the capital in December.

“Ms. Williamson is no longer employed by this agency,” a spokesman for the governor said. “While we are still learning about the allegations, the governor expects all public servants to uphold the highest standards of integrity. At a time when the president is openly asking the attorney general to investigate his political enemies, this is particularly respectful of the American principle of innocence until proven guilty by a judge in a court of law.”

Newsom has been in Brazil since Sunday, flying about 1,800 miles north to Belém for the United Nations climate summit, known as COP30, before starting with the Global Climate Investors Symposium in Sao Paulo.

On Wednesday morning, before news of the charges against Williamson, he left the conference for a planned trip to the Amazon rainforest, where he and a small delegation would board another flight and then travel by boat to visit reforestation and climate mitigation projects.

Newsom said he was eager to witness “something I’ve only seen on TV or something I’ve seen missing in my life,” describing the concerns he felt during the years of fires and deforestation under former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and the optimism he hopes to find in the rebuilding efforts.

Federal officials said the indictment was the result of a three-year investigation, meaning it began during the Biden administration.

“Today’s charges are the culmination of three years of tireless investigative work in partnership with the IRS Criminal Investigation and the United States Attorney’s Office,” said FBI Sacramento Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel. “The FBI will remain vigilant in its efforts to detect fraud and corruption, ensuring that our government systems are held to the highest standards.”