Ex-FBI employee secretly worked for a Russian oligarch
2023.01.23 15:14
Ex-FBI employee secretly worked for a Russian oligarch
By Ray Johnson
Budrigannews.com – Accusations that he worked for sanctioned Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska led to the arrest of a former top FBI official over the weekend, prosecutors said on Monday.
Before retiring in 2018, Charles McGonigal led the agency’s counterintelligence division in New York. He faces four charges, including money laundering and violating sanctions.
According to federal prosecutors in Manhattan, McGonigal, 54, made secret payments to Deripaska in exchange for investigating a rival oligarch in 2021. Deripaska was fined in 2018. He is also accused of trying unsuccessfully to get Deripaska’s sanctions lifted in 2019.
According to a statement released by the FBI Assistant Director in Charge Michael Driscoll, “in order for sanctions to be successful, they must be enforced equally against all U.S. citizens.” There are no exceptions, even for Mr. McGonigal, a former FBI official.
A request for clarification was not immediately answered by a McGonigal lawyer. McGonigal and Sergey Shestakov, a former Soviet diplomat who became a U.S. citizen and was also charged in the case, are expected to appear in federal court in Manhattan later on Monday.
In response to Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, Washington blacklisted two dozen Russian oligarchs and government officials in 2018—including Rusal founder Deripaska. The Kremlin and Deripaska have both denied any involvement in the election.
On Monday, inquiries regarding their representation of Deripaska and Shestakov were not immediately met with a response.
U.S. prosecutors are intensifying their efforts to impose sanctions on Russian officials and wealthy private sector allies in an effort to force Moscow to halt its war in Ukraine. This arrest comes at the same time. Activities in Ukraine are referred to as a “special military operation” by the Kremlin.
In September of last year, it was alleged that Deripaska had broken the law by arranging for his children to be born in the United States. Deripaska is unidentified.
The following month, British businessman Graham Bonham-Carter was indicted by U.S. prosecutors for attempting to transport Deripaska’s artwork from the United States to another country in violation of sanctions. Bonham-Carter is attempting to avoid being extradited to the United States.
