California Democrat linked to Newsom and Becerra pleads guilty to fraud

"Federal authorities say Williamson conspired to steal $225,000 from a dormant campaign account belonging to Becerra, who was not named in the plea deal, and divert the money to his chief of staff, Sean McCluskie. The funds were disguised as pay to McCluskie's spouse for nonexistent work. McCluskie reportedly took a pay cut to join Becerra when he became the US secretary of health and human services in 2021. McCluskie took a plea deal last December."

"Becerra has maintained he did not know about the scheme, but his opponents have sought to link him to the corruption investigation. We know that Xavier Becerra likely broke state law, and now he's at the center of an ongoing criminal investigation, billionaire Tom Steyer, one of Becerra's top rivals in the governor's race, said in a statement after Williamson's guilty plea. Democrats cannot afford to wake up on June 3 and discover we've got a criminal on our hands."

"Xavier Becerra should not be our governor, and we can't risk having him as our nominee. Katie Porter, the former congresswoman also running for governor, said earlier this week that Becerra's proximity to the scandal made him too big of a risk for voters. My opponents have spent millions spreading lies to purposefully mislead voters. Today confirms what I have said from day one: I did nothing wrong. Case closed, Becerra wrote Thursday on X, in reference to court documents indicating that Williamson and McCluskie hid the plan from him."

"Williamson wielded considerable influence in Sacramento politics. She served as chief of staff to Newsom and cabinet secretary for Newsom's predecessor, Jerry Brown. Williamson also pleaded guilty to making false statements about the campaign fund scheme and filing fals"

Dana Williamson pleaded guilty to fraud charges after conspiring to steal $225,000 from a dormant campaign account tied to Xavier Becerra. The money was diverted to Sean McCluskie, who was Becerra’s chief of staff. The payments were disguised as compensation to McCluskie’s spouse for nonexistent work. McCluskie reportedly took a pay cut to join Becerra’s team when he became U.S. secretary of health and human services in 2021. McCluskie previously entered a plea deal. Becerra was not named in the plea deal and said he did nothing wrong, asserting he did not know about the scheme. Opponents used the guilty plea to argue Becerra poses a risk to voters and faces ongoing criminal scrutiny.

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