When federal prosecutors dropped a 23-count indictment on Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff Dana Williamson, Sacramento didn’t scatter; it closed ranks.
A SpotFund donation popped up to jump-start Williamson’s legal defense Monday. The fundraiser was no ordinary crowdfunding appeal, sitting at a $100,000 campaign goal. The effort immediately drew donations from Sacramento insiders, lobbyists and former state officials.
The SpotFund page for Williamson — who collected nearly $313,000 in state salary and benefits in 2024 as Newsom’s executive secretary — was launched by Steve Maviglio, arguably one of the most connected operatives in California politics.
A former New Hampshire legislator, Maviglio served as press secretary to Gov. Gray Davis, deputy chief of staff to then Assembly Speakers Fabian Núñez and Karen Bass, who now serves as the mayor of Los Angeles, and helped defeat Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “year of reform” ballot measures.
“From the moment news broke about our friend Dana, she’s received an outpouring of support from friends, family and colleagues across the nation,” the page says. “Your kind messages — fueled by collective outrage and fierce loyalty — have been invaluable as she fights the legal battle of her life.”
The first $1,000 donation came from Mark Krausse, appointed by Newsom in 2024 to the Public Employment Relations Board, a six-year post paying $168,000. “We love you, Dana! Anything we can do to help! Krausse family,” he wrote.
Krausse previously spent 17 years as a Pacific Gas & Electric lobbyist.
Other early donations include $1,000 from an anonymous donor, $500 from lobbyists Vicki and Christy Barr-Bouma, $250 from former Public Utilities Commission President Michael Picker. The fundraiser seeks $100,000.
Williamson was indicted in early November on 23 federal counts alleging she stole $225,000 in campaign funds and claimed more than $1 million in personal expenses, including private jet travel, luxury clothing and home furnishings, as business deductions on false tax returns.
According to court documents, between February 2022 and September 2024, Williamson conspired with others to divert approximately $225,000 in funds from a dormant political campaign.
Prosecutors say she funneled money from a dormant congressional campaign into a no-show job and fabricated backdated contracts after receiving a subpoena over her COVID-era PPP loan.
Williamson has entered a not guilty plea.
Among the Capitol’s power players, Williamson has stood near the top, working for three governors, lobbying for various interest groups and running ballot measure campaigns.
Williamson faces up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 fines on each bank and wire fraud count, along with additional penalties for conspiracy, obstruction and filing false tax returns.
“The FBI will remain vigilant in its efforts to uncover fraud and corruption, ensuring our government systems are held to the highest standards,” FBI Sacramento Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel said in announcing the charges.
“Disguising personal luxuries as business expenses… is a serious criminal offense with severe consequences,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Oakland Field Office Special Agent in Charge Linda Nguyen.
The case stems from a multiyear FBI and IRS investigation led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael D. Anderson, Rosanne Rust and Katherine T. Lydon, and Public Integrity Section Trial Attorney Alexandre Dempsey.
