Action came as part of probe into his former chief of staff, 2 others.

Dana Williamson, former chief of staff to Gov. Gavin Newsom, center, leaves court Nov. 12 in Sacramento after being indicted on federal charges in an alleged scheme to steal money from Xavier Becerra. Sophie Austin - AP.

By THE SACRAMENTO BEE

The FBI has read or listened to Newsom administration members' and Washington and Sacramento lobbyists' conversations as part of an ongoing corruption investigation that has so far ensnared Dana Williamson, Gov. Gavin Newsom's former chief of staff; former Deputy State Attorney General Sean McCluskie; and lobbyist Greg Campbell, according to sources who have knowledge of the letters.

Among those who received these letters from the FBI were current and former members of Newsom's administration, the Los Angeles Times reported. Phone calls, texts and other electronic communications were among the messages intercepted, according to the Times.

A spokesperson for Newsom said the governor did not receive such a letter but the office is aware that current and former members of his administration had received the notices, the Times reported.

FBI Sacramento Field Office Special Agent in Charge Siddhartha Patel informed recipients in letters dated last week that their wire or electronic communications had been "intercepted" as part of its conspiracy case accusing Campbell, Williamson and McCluskie of stealing campaign funds from Biden administration Cabinet secretary Xavier Becerra, a former state attorney general who is now running for governor in 2026.

Newsom's spokesperson also noted that Newsom is not mentioned in the charging documents related to Williamson and the other two Democratic operatives, according to the Times.

"Some of the communications intercepted during the course of the investigation were from a phone number believed to be associated with you," Patel wrote to one Sacramento lobbyist, informing them in a letter dated last Wednesday that their communications had been intercepted during the summer of 2024.

"This letter does not necessarily mean you were the target of the investigation or that any criminal action will be taken against you," the letter said.

"Rather, the purpose of the letter is to notify you that some of your communications may have been intercepted during the course of the investigation."

The Sacramento Bee obtained the letter from a source who was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter, and said that a second lobbyist, based in Washington, D.C., told them they received a similar letter.

It's unclear how many people received the letters, but the people who spoke to The Bee said they were told the letters were tied to people who had spoken to Williamson during a four-month period in 2024 when she was under FBI surveillance and was Newsom's chief of staff.

Spokespeople for the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office declined to comment, saying such communications are not public.

Federal officials arrested Williamson last week, charging her, along with Campbell and McCluskie, with conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud. The three allegedly conspired to steal $225,000 in campaign funds from Becerra's accounts to pad McCluskie's salary while he was working as Becerra's chief of staff when Becerra served as Health and Human Services Secretary in the Biden administration from 2021 to January 2025.

The indictment accused McCluskie, Williamson and Campbell of disguising the payments as remittances to McCluskie's wife for a no-show political communications job with Williamson's consulting firm, Grace Public Affairs.

McCluskie and Campbell have pleaded guilty to the federal charges and are awaiting hearings set to take place on Thursday and Dec. 4, respectively.

Newsom's office said Williamson had been placed on leave in November 2024 after telling the office she was under criminal investigation.

Her leave was not publicly disclosed at the time. Newsom's office formally announced her departure and his hiring of a new chief of staff that December.

A longtime Democratic power broker in the Capitol circle, Williamson worked as an adviser to former Gov. Gray Davis and as a Cabinet secretary for former Gov. Jerry Brown before opening her own political affairs firm. She served as Becerra's campaign managerwhen he ran for state attorney general in 2018.

Like Newsom, Becerra is not accused of any wrongdoing in the indictment. Still, there is thought that his lack of knowledge of the alleged wrongdoings by people close to him could be detrimental to his gubernatorial campaign, which had already struggled to take off.

Williamson, who pleaded not guilty last week, is separately accused of falsifying tax returns, lying to investigators and claiming $1 million in business deductions that prosecutors say were actually used to finance private jet travel, buy home furniture and stay at a luxury resort. Her next court appearance is December 11.

The federal investigation began in 2022, and appears to be linked to a state sexual harassment case against gaming company Activision Blizzard that began with a state investigation in 2019 and later, a lawsuit filed in 2021 against the firm known for the "Call of Duty" franchise.

Prosecutors say Williamson used her position as chief of staff to lean on state attorneys to quickly settle the litigation with Activision Blizzard, who was a client of hers.

A member of Activision's board also donated $100,000 to Newsom's recall defense campaign in 2021.

The sexual harassment case predates Williamson's time in the governor's office, and her attorney, McGregor Scott, previously said the charges were retaliation for Williamson not cooperating with a probe targeting Newsom when FBI agents approached her last year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.