A former top aide has pleaded guilty in a campaign funds case as federal investigators examine related communications.
SACRAMENTO, CA — A lawyer for a former top aide to Gov. Gavin Newsom said an FBI informant recorded conversations inside California political circles, adding a new turn to a federal corruption probe tied to campaign funds.
The claim matters because the case has moved beyond one indictment and into a wider review of communications among lobbyists, former officials and people close to the governor. Dana Williamson, Newsom’s former chief of staff, has pleaded guilty in the case. Newsom has not been charged, and federal filings in the campaign funds case have not accused him of wrongdoing.
McGregor Scott, Williamson’s lawyer and a former U.S. attorney, said longtime Democratic insider Alexis Podesta wore a wire during the investigation. Scott said Williamson did not wear a wire. The claim followed months of unease in Sacramento after several lobbyists and Capitol figures received FBI letters saying some of their phone or electronic communications may have been intercepted. Federal officials have described the case as an ongoing political corruption investigation. U.S. Attorney Eric Grant said when charges were announced in November 2025 that the case was “a crucial step” in a probe that had already lasted more than three years. FBI Sacramento Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel said the charges followed “relentless investigative work” with the IRS and federal prosecutors.
The case centers on allegations that Williamson, former Becerra aide Sean McCluskie and lobbyist Greg Campbell helped divert $225,000 from a dormant state campaign account tied to former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. Prosecutors said the money was moved through consulting and lobbying entities and disguised as payments for work that was not performed. Williamson was also accused of filing false tax returns, claiming personal expenses as business costs and lying to investigators. She pleaded guilty May 14 to conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, filing a false tax return and making false statements to federal agents. As part of the plea, Williamson, McCluskie and Campbell agreed to repay $225,000 to Becerra, and Williamson agreed to pay $500,000 to the IRS.
Williamson was once one of the most powerful Democratic operatives in California. She worked for former Gov. Gray Davis, served as Cabinet secretary for former Gov. Jerry Brown and later became Newsom’s chief of staff in late 2022. Newsom’s office placed her on leave in November 2024 after she disclosed that she was under criminal investigation, and she left the administration the next month. The indictment was unsealed in Sacramento in November 2025 after her arrest at her Carmichael home. At the time, she pleaded not guilty and was released on a $500,000 bond. Prosecutors later said the investigation included wiretaps and seized communications. The FBI letters sent to some Capitol figures said the notice did not mean recipients were targets or would face criminal action.
Newsom has treated the broader federal scrutiny as political. In June, he said FBI agents had contacted friends and former employees and were examining matters involving first partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom. In a video posted online, Newsom said, “We have nothing to hide,” and accused President Donald Trump of using federal power against political rivals. Federal officials have not publicly announced charges against Newsom or Siebel Newsom. The scope of any inquiry involving them remains unclear. The campaign funds case, however, has already drawn attention because it touched several prominent names in Democratic politics, including Becerra, who has said he was deceived and was not aware of the alleged scheme.
The wire claim also raised new questions about Podesta’s role in the investigation. Podesta is a longtime figure in California Democratic politics and served in state government posts before returning to political work. She has not been charged in the Williamson case. Scott’s claim that she recorded conversations has not been confirmed in a public court filing that fully describes her role. Still, prior reporting on FBI notice letters and recorded communications has shown that investigators captured calls or messages involving people around the Capitol during parts of 2024. Some people who received notices had limited or no direct connection to the charges against Williamson, which helped fuel concern that the investigation reached deeper into Sacramento’s political network than first known.
The next major step is sentencing. Williamson’s plea exposed her to prison time, though prosecutors agreed to seek a sentence under federal guidelines for the fraud charge. Her lawyer has said he plans to argue against prison, citing her health and cooperation. A hearing had been expected in July, though it could be delayed because Williamson was recovering from a liver transplant. McCluskie and Campbell also entered plea agreements. Federal prosecutors have continued to describe the matter as ongoing, leaving open the possibility of more filings, more disclosures about intercepted communications or more detail about the alleged wire recordings.
For now, the public record shows a guilty plea by Newsom’s former chief of staff, restitution agreements, FBI notices about intercepted communications and a lawyer’s new claim that an informant recorded people in the governor’s political orbit. No charge has been filed against Newsom. The next milestone is the next federal court hearing in Sacramento.
Author note: Last updated July 4, 2026.