The city of Fresno will cut ties with a prominent lobbyist who was among the group of lobbyists federal officials arrested Wednesday for alleged fraud, including a former chief of staff for Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Greg Campbell was named along with Dana Williamson, who left the Governor’s Office at the end of 2024, as well as Sean McCluskie and two others on a conspiracy to commit fraud related to funds in a dormant political campaign account for former US Congressman Xavier Becerra. There are 23 counts in total; the 18 bank and wire fraud charges each carry a maximum of 20 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines.
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer’s Office released a statement Thursday.
“After thoughtful consideration and input from council members, the city will be exercising its right to move forward with the termination of our agreement with the lobbying firm,” the statement said.
Campbell, a lobbyist in Sacramento, runs a consulting firm called Campbell Strategy & Advocacy that has been under contract with Fresno since at least 2022. He has pleaded guilty to two counts.
Campbell faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine for each of the two charges. He also confirmed his involvement in the scheme and agreed that it was to benefit McCluskie as part of his plea agreement.
In an email, Campbell’s lawyer said he “takes full accountability for his actions and is cooperating fully with the legal process.”
His contract with the city of Fresno has paid him $180,000 per year since 2022, and in July was amended to continue through midyear 2026.
Fresno appears to be the only city that contracts with Campbell, whose website lists a number of other clients like the San Francisco Giants, Amazon and Draft Kings, to name a few.
The city of Fresno’s spokesperson did not immediately return requests for comment on Wednesday.
Williamson was the third chief of staff to Newsom. A Newsom spokesperson distanced the governor from Williamson in a statement.
“Ms. Williamson no longer serves in this administration,” the statement said. “While we are still learning details of the allegations, the Governor expects all public servants to uphold the highest standards of integrity. 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.”
McCluskie is a longtime former chief of staff to Becerra, the former Biden official and California Attorney General now running for governor. Representatives for Becerra’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
According to a statement from the US Attorney’s Office, between February 2022 and September 2024, Williamson and her fellow conspirators plotted to divert around $225,000 in funds from Becerra’s dormant state political campaign for McCluskie’s personal use. The court filings also allege that Williamson conspired to create fake contracts to justify federal COVID loans made to her company.
The charges also accuse Williamson of filing false tax returns, claiming more than $1 million in business deductions for personal expenses, including trips to luxury resorts in Mexico, designer handbags, jewelry, home furniture, and travel on private jets.
The indictment also alleges that Williamson provided government information to a company involved in litigation with the state, and lied about it to the FBI.
The indictment accuses Williamson and two co-conspirators of funneling dormant campaign funds through accounts they controlled for the benefit of McCluskie. The money was then disguised to pay McCluskie’s spouse for a “no show” job, the indictment alleges.
The alleged scheme netted about $225,000, the indictment said. In addition, Williamson was accused of falsely claiming personal expenditures as business expenses on her taxes, including $15,353 for a Chanel handbag and ring, a $10,000 payment to a relative, $19,000 for a heating and air conditioning system for her home and $21,175 to charter a private jet.
The tax claims totaled nearly $1 million, the indictment said.
Williamson, who was in custody pending a hearing after her arrest, made her initial appearance Wednesday afternoon in Sacramento federal court. She pleaded not guilty to all counts and was released on a $500,000 bond.