California Gov. Gavin Newsom took a blow this week, when his former chief of staff was hit with federal corruption charges on Wednesday.
Former top Newsom aide Dana Williamson, once a key figure in California’s political operation, was indicted on allegations she helped orchestrate a sophisticated plan to siphon campaign funds and quietly route the cash to an associate for personal benefit, according to federal prosecutors.
The Justice Department charged her in a 23‑count indictment that details accusations of bank fraud, wire fraud, obstruction, false tax filings, and lying to investigators.
Federal officials described the case as part of a years-long corruption probe.
Prosecutors allege Williamson arranged for money to be moved from a political campaign into another individual’s bank account under the guise of consulting work.
That individual, identified in court records as Sean McCluskie, allegedly received the funds while serving as chief of staff to a figure listed only as “Public Official 1.”
McCluskie previously worked for former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.
Becerra, who had served as California’s attorney general before joining the Biden administration, was tied to the financial transactions through his campaign operation, though prosecutors have not accused him of wrongdoing.
According to the indictment, Williamson’s consulting firm billed Becerra’s campaign in 2022 for services that prosecutors say were never performed.
The payments then allegedly flowed to McCluskie’s wife for what prosecutors describe as a no‑work arrangement.
IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent Linda Nguyen said disguising personal expenses as legitimate business deductions and filing tax documents “is a serious criminal offense with severe consequences.”
Williamson, who served as chief of staff to Newsom through the end of 2024, is accused of filing fraudulent tax documents and misleading authorities as the investigation progressed.
Newsom’s office attempted to distance itself from the case. A spokesperson said Williamson no longer had any role in the administration and offered a carefully worded statement insisting the governor expects state officials to adhere to high ethical standards.
“At a time when the president is openly calling for his attorney general to investigate his political enemies, it is especially important to honor the American principle of being innocent until proven guilty in a court of law by a jury of one’s peers,” Newsom’s office said in the statement.
The former Newsom aide pleaded not guilty on Wednesday and was released from custody on $500,000 bail.
Williamson’s indictment coincided with a parallel case on the opposite side of the country, where another former Democratic official went on trial over allegations of secretly advancing the interests of the Chinese government.
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Linda Sun, a onetime high‑ranking aide in the administrations of both former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and current Governor Kathy Hochul, is accused of operating as an unregistered foreign agent while personally benefiting from millions of dollars that prosecutors say she and her husband, Chris Hu, received.
Prosecutors told jurors the couple used the money to buy high‑value properties, including a multimillion‑dollar home on Long Island and a luxury condo in Hawaii, as well as a high‑end Ferrari.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Shami said the case centers on what she described as “betrayal” of Sun’s public duties in exchange for financial gain.
Sun, who emigrated to the United States as a child, has pleaded not guilty to all charges, which include money laundering, visa fraud, and allegedly steering state business opportunities to Chinese‑linked entities. Hu also pleaded not guilty to related financial and fraud counts.
Court filings reveal allegations that Sun intervened on behalf of Chinese officials, blocking representatives from Taiwan from interacting with the governor’s office and preventing public messaging that would have acknowledged China’s human rights abuses.
Prosecutors say Sun even forged Hochul’s signature on official invitations used by Chinese officials to obtain visas.
Travel records introduced in the case show Sun and Hu made repeated trips to China, with prosecutors alleging those visits were funded by the Chinese government.
Financial documents reviewed by investigators reportedly show Hu kept spreadsheets to track expected kickbacks tied to the couple’s business ventures in China, including assistance for Hu’s seafood company.
Prosecutors also allege Sun took advantage of the chaos of early 2020 as the COVID‑19 pandemic spread, steering the state’s purchase of critical protective equipment to two Chinese companies closely connected to her family.
Those deals were valued at more than $44 million, and according to prosecutors, one of those companies funneled millions back to Hu afterward.
Sun served in various New York government roles for nearly 15 years, starting as chief of staff to then‑Assembly member Grace Meng before working her way into senior state positions.
She became Cuomo’s chief diversity officer in 2018 and later joined Hochul’s administration as deputy chief of staff in 2021.
Hochul’s office says she was fired in March 2023 after officials uncovered what they described as evidence of misconduct, which they then referred to law enforcement.
In the Midwest, yet another political controversy involving a Democratic office emerged, this time involving a staffer for Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth.
According to a warning letter sent by ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons, Duckworth staffer Edward York allegedly pretended to be an attorney in an attempt to help an illegal immigrant evade federal custody.
Lyons wrote that York falsely claimed legal authority to represent a detainee named Jose Ismeal Ayuzo Sandoval, who has been deported multiple times and has a DUI conviction.
York, who works as a Constituent Outreach Coordinator for Duckworth, allegedly entered an ICE facility in Illinois and demanded access to the detainee while identifying himself as Ayuzo’s lawyer.
Lyons said York persuaded the detainee to sign a legal form used to authorize representation, then later attempted to submit a version of the document without the required signature.
Federal officials also flagged suspicious communications linked to a local law firm and pointed to a Facebook post from a Democratic group that appeared to describe the incident.
ICE officials say they now want answers from Duckworth’s office regarding whether York knowingly lied, whether others were aware, and whether he had any legal credentials.
