Former Gov. Newsom aide seeks postponement of corruption sentencing over health concerns

Dana Williamson, who served as Gavin Newsom’s chief of staff until 2024, is requesting a new sentencing date after a recent surgery and a liver transplant earlier this year. Her attorney, McGregor Scott, asked the court to move the September 17 sentencing and to keep her medical documents confidential, attaching a text from her mother about the operation. In May, Williamson admitted guilt to three charges, among them bank and wire fraud tied to a 2022-2024 scheme that siphoned campaign funds from then-Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to his chief of staff.

She also acknowledged filing a false tax return and lying to FBI agents about the scheme and a separate lawsuit involving Activision Blizzard. The U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of California has not responded to inquiries about the delay request.