Former aide to Xavier Becerra pleads guilty to stealing funds from dormant California campaign account
By Steve Large
Sean McCluskie, a former longtime political aide to Xavier Becerra, pleaded guilty to charges in connection with stealing funds from Becerra’s dormant California campaign account on Thursday.
McCluskie is one of four co-conspirators listed in a federal indictment that accused Gov. Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, of 23 fraud-related charges.
He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States. The maximum sentence, according to the plea agreement, is five years in prison, but prosecutors agreed to recommend a lower sentence. He is scheduled for sentencing in February.
Greg Campbell and McCluskie appeared in court last Friday, when they both pleaded not guilty. Campbell is expected to change his plea during his Dec. 4 court hearing.
“Mr. Campbell takes full accountability for his actions and is cooperating fully with the legal process,” Campbell’s attorney, Todd Pickles, said in a statement after Friday’s court hearing.
If Williamson’s case goes to trial, the two men could testify against her for a lesser punishment for their accused crimes.
The indictment alleges that Williamson, along with help from Campbell, developed a plan with McCluskie to take money from Becerra’s dormant state campaign account in 2022.
Becerra is a former member of Congress and was appointed California Attorney General in 2017. He was then reelected in 2018, when Williamson ran his campaign. Becerra was later appointed by former President Joe Biden as Secretary of Health and Human Services.
McCluskie was Becerra’s longtime aide, including Becerra’s former chief of staff.
The federal documents said about $225,000 was stolen from Becerra’s dormant campaign account and used for personal use. He agreed to pay back that money as part of the plea deal.
Campbell is accused of coordinating the theft through his companies and helping cover it up.
The court documents alleged Becerra did not know about the scheme. Newsom’s office said last week that the governor was unaware of any investigation involving him, and that Williamson was placed on leave in late 2024 after learning she was under criminal investigation.
According to the indictment, Williamson allegedly subscribed to false tax returns, claiming more than $1 million in business deductions that were for personal use and nondeductible expenditures, like private jet travel, hotel stays, home furnishings and designer handbags.
In her first court appearance last week, Williamson pleaded not guilty to the charges. If convicted, she could face up to 20 years in prison.
