Ex-aide to California Democrats admits guilt in scheme to steal campaign funds from health secretary

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A top California Democratic political aide agreed to plead guilty Thursday to charges including conspiracy to commit bank fraud related to a scheme to steal campaign funds from Xavier Becerra when he served as the federal health secretary.

The case has drawn attention to Becerra in his bid for California governor, with voting underway and concluding June 2.

In Dana Williamson’s plea deal, she admits to three of the 23 counts of which she was initially charged. Williamson is a former top aide to Becerra and Gov. Gavin Newsom. Neither have been implicated.

If convicted of all charges, including subscribing to false tax returns and making false statements, Williamson faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and up to a $1 million fine, according to court documents.

The federal indictment alleged that Williamson developed a plan with co-conspirators including Sean McCluskie, a longtime Becerra aide. The scheme was to siphon money from one of Becerra’s dormant state campaign accounts to give to McCluskie to pad his salary after he accepted a job as his chief of staff in Washington.

McCluskie signed a plea agreement Oct. 30 in which he admitted to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, according to court filings. He agreed to pay back the $225,000 he took from the account.

Becerra is a former member of Congress who was appointed California attorney general in 2017 to fill a vacancy and reelected in 2018 with Williamson running his campaign. Former President Joe Biden later appointed him as secretary of Health and Human Services.

Becerra hasn’t commented on Williamson’s plea deal. In November, he said the “accusations of impropriety by a long-serving trusted advisor are a gut punch.”

Williamson is a longtime Democratic power player in Sacramento known for her savvy and aggressive style, often unafraid to spar publicly and privately with those who disagree with her. She was a Cabinet secretary for former Gov. Jerry Brown before opening her own political affairs firm and later rejoined state government as Newsom’s chief of staff.

The indictment accused Williamson of filing fraudulent tax forms for her business from 2021 to 2023 claiming more than $1 million in business deductions for personal expenses, including luxury handbags and jewelry; private jet travel; vacations in Mexico; installation of a home HVAC system; and several hundred thousand dollars paid to various relatives for fake jobs.