Former FBI employee Charles McGonigal sentenced to more than four years in prison for working for a Russian businessman, founder of Rusal Oleg Deripaska, reports Reuters.
From 2016 to 2018, McGonigal was the head of the counterintelligence division of the FBI’s New York office. From spring to autumn 2021, he searched for negative information about the head of Interros and the president of Norilsk Nickel. Vladimir Potanin and received hidden payments for this, the total amount was $17.5 thousand. In addition, a former FBI employee in 2019 tried to find grounds for canceling sanctions against Deripaska (they were introduced in 2018).
rtvi.com, 12/15/2023, “Former FBI agent sentenced to four years in prison because of working for Deripaska”: This was done in violation of the sanctions imposed on Deripaska in 2018, and in exchange for hidden payments through his intermediary Evgeniy Fokin in the amount of $17.5 thousand. […] Sentencing documents filed by one of the prosecutors also revealed that McGonigal facilitated Fokine’s daughter’s internship with the New York Police Department, where she was “treated like a VIP.”
McGonigal told the court he was deeply remorseful for his actions, which ruined his life and career. Judge Jennifer Rearden, who sentenced McGonigal to a $40,000 fine in addition to prison, explained that the decision was intended to balance the defendant’s more than 20 years of law enforcement experience with the “extremely serious” nature of his crimes, which jeopardized national security. .
Charles McGonigal, 55, who left the FBI in 2018, became one of the highest-ranking bureau employees ever convicted of crimes, the newspaper notes. He faces a second sentencing in February 2024 after McGonigal pleaded guilty in Washington federal court in September to concealing $225,000 in payments he received from a former Albanian intelligence officer and other transactions. — Insert K.ru
He was sentenced to 50 months in prison. In total, McGonigal was charged with four counts (including violation of sanctions, money laundering, conspiracy). In August of this year, he pleaded guilty to one of them, it concerned working for Deripaska, in exchange for the dropping of other charges.
Lawyers said McGonigal should have been released from prison for taking responsibility. They also noted that the former agent considered his work for Deripaska to be “consistent” with US foreign policy, as it contributed to the possible imposition of sanctions against Potanin.
Both businessmen according to Forbesare billionaires: Potanin’s fortune is estimated at $23.7 billion (second place in the Russian ranking), Deripaska’s fortune is $2.5 billion (54th place).
The US Treasury cited his connections with President Vladimir Putin (*international criminal) among the reasons for imposing sanctions against Deripaska. In particular, it was said that he “was one of those who owned assets and participated in money laundering in the interests of Vladimir Putin (*international criminal),” invested in the construction of facilities for the Sochi Olympics and financed some other projects at the request of Putin (*international criminal) and senior government officials. Deripaska called this data “another piece of nonsense.”
Potanin fell under American sanctions a year ago. Also under restrictions were his Interros and Rosbank.