A former chief of staff for California Gov. Gavin Newsom was indicted on bank and wire fraud in connection with a scam to steal campaign money, according to federal prosecutors.
Dana Williamson, 53, of Carmichael, California, was arrested on Nov. 12 after a federal grand jury indicted her last week. She faces 23 felony charges that also include conspiracy to defraud the government, filing false tax returns, and making false statements to the FBI for allegedly diverting $225,000 from a dormant campaign account, prosecutors said.
The account belonged to former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, according to published reports by the Associated Press and the San Francisco Chronicle.
Williamson served as Newsom’s chief of staff from 2023 through 2024. Williamson was also Becerra’s campaign manager when Becerra ran for California attorney general in 2018.
Williamson pleaded not guilty to all charges during her first court appearance in Sacramento, California, on Nov. 12 as a judge ordered her released from custody, the Associated Press reported. Her attorney, Matthew Rowan, did not immediately return USA TODAY's request for comment.
