Originally published August 8, 2023 7:06 am PDT
A former senior FBI agent who played a pivotal role in the 2016 Trump campaign investigation concerning alleged Russia collusion is poised to admit guilt in a case linking him to a Russian oligarch under U.S. sanctions.
Documents from a Manhattan federal court suggest that Charles McGonigal, once the chief of counterintelligence at the FBI’s New York branch, will participate in a plea proceeding set for Aug 15.
McGonigal, 54, previously at the helm of New York’s FBI counterintelligence operations during the Trump-Russia inquiry, is now at the center of a scandal that alleges illicit ties with Oleg Deripaska, a Russian businessman.
The U.S. prosecution has accused McGonigal of evading American sanctions and engaging in money laundering, stemming from his association with Deripaska.
In a recent status conference, Seth DuCharme, McGonigal’s legal representative, indicated that there was a “decent chance the case is going to be resolved.”
Earlier this year, prosecutors claimed McGonigal had been on Deripaska’s payroll, accepting concealed payments.
These funds were allegedly in exchange for McGonigal’s efforts to investigate a competing oligarch.
Moreover, there were failed attempts in 2019 to have U.S. sanctions on Deripaska lifted.
This crackdown on McGonigal aligns with the U.S.’s more aggressive stance towards enforcing sanctions on Russian figures and monitoring their supposed domestic facilitators, particularly after the conflict in Ukraine.
Oleg Deripaska, who founded the aluminum giant Rusal and once stood as Russia’s wealthiest individual, joined the ranks of several Russian magnates and political figures whom the U.S. blacklisted in 2018.
Investigations by the U.S. Treasury Department pinpointed Deripaska for potential involvement in money laundering, extortion, and racketeering.
The allegations also suggest connections to Russian organized crime and even claims of murder.
Outside of the Deripaska affair, McGonigal finds himself under scrutiny for another case in the nation’s capital.
Allegedly, he hid $225,000, funds believed to be from a former Albanian intelligence operative.
However, DuCharme, McGonigal’s attorney, expressed last week his anticipation that this separate case might reach a resolution without the need for a trial.
The court, while setting the upcoming plea proceeding, did not delve into specifics, leaving open the possibility of adjustments if the plea change isn’t finalized.
