California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is no stranger to making headlines, but the ones his office made this week would definitely be filed in the undesirable category.

According to Just The News, Newsom's former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, has been indicted on a staggering 23 charges, "accused of corruption and conspiring to defraud the United States."

U.S. Attorney Eric Grant confirmed that the governor's former chief of staff was indicted by a federal grand jury last week, setting her up for a daunting legal battle, especially given the number of charges she faces and what those charges entail.

The outlet reported that Williamson is facing charges for "conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruct justice, subscribing to false tax returns and making false statements."

What's going on?

One of the primary issues deals with accusations that Williamson diverted a whopping $225,000 in funds from what was described as a "dormant" political campaign into the coffers of one of her associates from February 2022 through September 2024.

Grant released a statement on the matter, noting that the Justice Department began the investigation into the deep corruption more than three years ago.

"This is a crucial step in an ongoing political corruption investigation that began more than three years ago," Grant said. "As it always has, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to protect the people of California from political corruption."

Just The News noted:

Williamson has also been accused of submitting false tax returns claiming more than $1 million in business deductions for ineligible personal expenses, such as private jet travel, luxury hotel stays and home furnishings.

Making matters worse for Williamson is that it was reported she lied to federal prosecutors when questioned about her alleged crimes, which ultimately resulted in additional charges.

🚨BREAKING: Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff Dana Williamson has been arrested and hit with a 23-count federal indictment for allegedly stealing $225K from inactive campaign accounts.

Prosecutors say she conspired with others to funnel the money to a friend as part of a… pic.twitter.com/CyIjnngrKS

— Digi Gal 🌸 (@DigitalGalX) November 13, 2025

Social media reacts

Users across social media weighed in on the charges against Newsom's former top staffer.

"But I wonder if there will be any consequences in corrupt California. I don’t think so," one X user wrote.

Another X user wrote, "Just like Gavin himself. He needs to be investigated as well."

Only time will tell if Williamson is proven guilty and held accountable for her actions.