SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Current and former members of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration were among the dozens of Sacramento insiders who received FBI letters in recent days notifying them that their phone calls, texts or other electronic communications had been intercepted as part of the federal corruption case tied to Dana Williamson and two additional longtime Democratic operatives.

The notifications are routine in wiretap investigations once surveillance ends, but the letters set off a wave of panic across California’s political power structure. The letters are signed by Sacramento Field Office Special Agent in Charge Siddhartha Patel and began arriving in mailboxes from Sacramento to Washington, D.C., last week, according to copies of the communications shared with The Times.

The legal notifications, under the terms of the 1968 Federal Wiretap Act, are sent out routinely to people whose private communications have been captured on federal wiretaps.

A Newsom spokesperson said the governor’s office is aware that a limited number of the letters were sent to current and former members of the administration. The spokesperson said that the letters were expected given federal law requires parties to be notified. Newsom’s office said the governor did not receive a letter.

FBI officials referred questions about the letters to the U.S. Attorney’s office. That office has declined to comment on details of the investigation beyond what is in the public court record, but has indicated that the investigation is ongoing.

Newsom’s office said the governor is not involved in the case against Williamson. None of the charging documents released in the cases against the three aides mention Newsom.

Copies of the letters, which were provided to The Times by individuals who asked to remain anonymous, indicate the period of time the communications were intercepted ranged from May 2024 to the end of July 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,” Patel wrote in the letter. “Rather, the purpose of this letter is to notify you that some of your communications may have been intercepted during the course of the investigation.”

Williamson, known as one of California’s toughest political insiders who previously worked as chief of staff to Newsom, was arrested last week on federal charges that allege she siphoned $225,000 out of 2026 gubernatorial hopeful Xavier Becerra’s dormant state campaign account. She also was accused of spending $1 million on luxury handbags and high-flying travel and illegally declaring them as business expenses on her tax returns.

According to the 23-count indictment, Williamson conspired with Becerra’s former chief deputy in the California attorney general’s office and ex-chief of staff Sean McCluskie, along with lobbyist Greg Campbell, to bill Becerra’s dormant campaign account for bogus consulting services.

Williamson has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Authorities have not revealed any targets beyond Williamson, Campbell and McCluskie. But Williamson’s lawyer said that federal authorities had charged his client only after first approaching her to seek help with a probe they were conducting into Newsom, the nature of which remains unclear. Williamson declined to cooperate, her attorney said.

Details contained in the indictment and other public records indicate that the FBI and U.S. Department of Justice homed in on Williamson and other operatives’ involvement in a legal case involving a company known in court papers as “Corporation 1.” The contours of the case described in the indictment match that of a controversial sex discrimination investigation that the state of California led into one of the world’s largest video game companies, Santa-Monica based Activision Blizzard Inc.

The highly publicized indictment against Williamson was sprinkled with references to her phone calls and text messages, indicating that federal investigators were likely relying on wiretapping. Nevertheless, the letters informing a wide swath of political insiders, from lobbyists to other operatives, is causing widespread anxiety across the Capitol.

The exact number of letters sent by the FBI is unknown, but political insiders say they’ve heard dozens of people have received one.

“It sends a chill up your spine, and everybody is worried,” said Democratic consultant Steve Maviglio, who said he did not receive a letter. “They can’t remember what they said to whom, about what. It could be anything. I think most people think this could be the tip of the iceberg. They are very concerned about where all these roads might lead.”

Another political insider joked that the letters were sent to so many people that he felt left out having not received one.

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas said Tuesday that neither the FBI nor the Department of Justice has contacted him about the Williamson case or any other issue. His office said Wednesday that Rivas had not received a letter from the FBI indicating his communications had been intercepted.

Rivas didn’t appear surprised by the notion that some in Sacramento are paranoid that they were secretly recorded by the government.

“That paranoia has always existed,” Rivas said. “The way I’ve operated is don’t break the rules, don’t violate the law and you’ll be OK.”

Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limon has also not received a letter and has not been contacted by the Department of Justice or FBI, said her office.

One person who spoke to The Times on condition of anonymity said there is widespread concern among those who received letters about what information will become public, such as private communication with clients or political strategies unrelated to alleged wrongdoing. Others said they worried how such information could be used by the Trump administration.

Newsom’s office has tried to link the federal case to California’s strained relationship with the Trump administration, noting accusations that the president has used the Justice Department to target political opponents. The case involving Williamson, however, began years earlier under the Biden administration.

Newsom has yet to publicly speak about the charges against Williamson. He returned Sunday from the United Nations climate summit known as COP30 in Brazil.

_____

©2025 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.