January 1, Former FBI Head Official Pleads Guilty in Russian Oligarch “Conspiracy”

Charles McGonigal, a former high-ranking FBI official with significant involvement in Russia-centric probes, conceded to violating U.S. sanctions targeting a prominent Russian oligarch.

McGonigal, 55, who once helmed the New York FBI Counterintelligence Division, officially confessed in a New York court on Tuesday to one count of conspiring against the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and to money laundering.

Contrary to his prior plea of not guilty in this matter, McGonigal voiced his deep regret during the trial and fully acknowledged his misjudgments.

He asserted that his endeavors were never meant to harm the U.S., the FBI, or those close to him.

The conviction pertains to an incident from 2021 where McGonigal consented to render services to Oleg Deripaska, a sanctioned Russian oligarch previously under his investigative scope.

McGonigal’s service involved researching a competing Russian oligarch on Deripaska’s behalf, reciprocated with clandestine payments, as per the Department of Justice’s briefing.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams remarked, “Charles McGonigal, after holding a prominent position in the FBI overseeing investigations of Russian oligarchs, has now come clean about his intent to bypass U.S. sanctions by assisting one of the very oligarchs, Oleg Deripaska.”

Williams reiterated the department’s commitment to holding accountable those capitalizing financially from U.S. sanctions breaches.

In 2018, the Treasury Department had rolled out sanctions against Deripaska and affiliated companies as a countermeasure against Russia’s global malevolent activities.

Additionally, in the previous year, the Department of Justice unmasked an indictment accusing Deripaska and other associates of flouting U.S. sanctions, a move triggered by Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine.

McGonigal faced arrest this past January at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, post his international journey. He initially refuted the allegations in the New York lawsuit.

Additionally, in Washington, D.C., he declined guilt accusations of hiding $225,000 from an Albanian intelligence asset-turned-FBI informant.

Seth DuCharme, representing McGonigal, hinted in a recent D.C. update call that there’s a plausible chance the case might conclude without advancing to trial, as mentioned in a CNN coverage.

The judge has arranged a hearing on this matter for September 13.

With his guilty admittance in New York, McGonigal could potentially face incarceration for up to five years.

The sentencing verdict is slated for December 14.

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