Lobbyist, former Becerra chief of staff plead to conspiracy

California lobbyist Greg Campbell and Sean McCluskie, a chief of staff to former state attorney general Xavier Becerra, have pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges after admitting they helped steal about $225,000 from a dormant political campaign account to fund McCluskie's personal expenses, disguising the money as payments for a no-show job for his spouse.

Federal prosecutors say that between 2022 and 2024, Campbell, McCluskie, and consultant Dana Williamson also created fake retroactive contracts to mislead investigators probing Williamson's ineligible PPP loans.

Williamson, who faces a separate 23-count indictment, is accused of fraud, tax offenses, and obstruction but remains presumed innocent. The FBI and IRS are investigating, and Campbell and McCluskie face up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines per conspiracy count when they are sentenced in February 2026. Williamson is former chief of staff to Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Without naming Becerra, the Department of Justice said that McCluskie continued to remain his chief of staff after 2021. That is when Becerra -- a former California Congressman and Assemblyman -- became Secretary of Health and Human Services in 2021 in the Biden Administration.