Former top aide to Becerra pleads guilty to conspiracy in corruption case
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- Former Becerra aide Sean McCluskie pleaded guilty to conspiracy, bank and wire fraud.
- Prosecutors say conspirators funneled about $225,000 from Becerra’s campaign account.
- McCluskie agreed to repay $225,000, faces prison, will cooperate for a reduced sentence.
A former top aide to California politician Xavier Becerra pleaded guilty Thursday to bank and wire fraud in a scheme to divert campaign funds for personal use.
Sean McCluskie, 56, admitted in federal court in Sacramento that he participated in a conspiracy to create a “no work” job for his wife, ultimately funneling about $225,000 from Becerra’s dormant campaign account. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud.
McCluskie was one of three top lobbyists and advisers charged in a corruption probe that also named Dana Williamson, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff, and consultant Greg Campbell, who advised several state Assembly speakers and the city of Fresno.
McCluskie and Campbell agreed to plead guilty. Williamson was arrested last week and indicted on 23 charges, including bank fraud, wire fraud and lying on income tax returns.
Prosecutors say the three conspired to pay McCluskie about $10,000 per month after he took a pay cut to serve as Becerra’s chief of staff, when Becerra was named Health and Human Services Secretary by then-President Joe Biden. McCluskie previously served as Becerra’s chief deputy attorney general.
The case has shaken Sacramento’s lobbying and legal circles and cast uncertainty on Becerra’s campaign to succeed Newsom as governor in next November’s election.
Wearing a dark suit, light blue shirt and a tie with diagonal blue stripes, McCluskie stood quietly beside his attorney, Daniel Olmos.
He gave Chief U.S. District Judge Troy Nunley his date of birth and said he held both a law degree and a Ph.D.
When asked for his plea, McCluskie said, “Guilty.”
According to the plea agreement, McCluskie and Williamson met in early 2022 “to discuss McCluskie’s desire for more money.”
They decided that McCluskie would arrange payments to Williamson of $7,500 per month, which she would then boost to $10,000 with funds from her own company, Grace Public Affairs. The money would then be sent as employment income in the name of McCluskie’s wife, who was not named in the indictment or charged.
The funds were sent to an account McCluskie controlled, the plea deal said.
When Williamson became Newsom’s chief of staff, she stepped back from Grace Public Affairs and handed payment responsibilities to a co-conspirator, previously identified by The Bee as lobbyist Alexis Podesta. Podesta billed the campaign $10,000 per month, which was then paid to McCluskie through a third company controlled by Campbell, referred to as “Company C” and believed to be The Collaborative.
McCluskie told Becerra his wife would work for a company connected to Campbell, but did not disclose that she would be paid with campaign funds or that she would not perform any work, the plea agreement stated.
“McCluskie did not tell Public Official 1 (Becerra) that his spouse’s pay was and would be paid using campaign funds,” the plea deal said. “He likewise did not tell Public Official 1 (Becerra) that his spouse was not actually doing work.”
Podesta later attempted to withdraw from the arrangement after questions arose in news coverage and a probe by the Office of Special Counsel.
She told an attorney she was managing the dormant campaign account, which had not been active since Becerra joined the Biden administration.
In May 2024, the group asked McCluskie’s wife to sign a backdated work contract. She refused, according to the plea.
Williamson, who left Newsom’s office last year after disclosing an FBI investigation, is scheduled to appear in federal court Dec. 11.
On Wednesday, Newsom told The Sacramento Bee he felt “real surprise and shock” upon hearing of Williamson’s arrest and expressed concern for her four children.
Becerra, now running for governor, described the case as a “gut punch.” He told Fox40 he was aware of the payments from his campaign fund but did not know about the conspiracy or any illegal activity. Prosecutors said the group exploited Becerra’s trust.
Williamson’s attorney, a former top prosecutor from the same U.S. Attorney’s Office handling the case, criticized the public nature of her arrest at her Carmichael home. He alleged it was retaliation for her failure to provide incriminating information about Newsom.
Williamson’s attorney, the former top prosecutor in the same U.S. Attorney’s office that charged her, has complained of the public way that his client was arrested, and said that he believes it was in retaliation for her inability to provide authorities with incriminating information on Newsom.
McCluskie faces up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. He agreed to repay the $225,000. In exchange for cooperation, prosecutors will recommend a reduced sentence.
He is scheduled to return to court Feb. 26 for a status conference. Sentencing will be delayed until other parts of the case are resolved.
This story was originally published November 20, 2025 at 12:47 PM.
