New York: A former FBI agent facing charges of working for sanctioned Russian billionaire Oligarch Oleg Deripaska pleaded guilty in a New York court on Tuesday.
According to western media Charles McGonigal pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy in exchange for prosecutors dropping other charges.
The Department of Justice filed two simultaneous cases against McGonigal in January, who led the counterintelligence division at the FBI before his 2018 retirement.
Ex-FBI Agent Pleads Guilty for Working with Sanctioned Russian Billionaire
The first case, filed in New York is about his affiliation with Russian billionaire Deripaska. In the second case filed in Washington, D.C, he is accused of receiving $225,000 unreported payments from a former Albanian intelligence officer.
McGonigal initially pleaded not guilty in both cases but later changed his stance to avert longer sentence.
Last week his counsel, said there was a chance that the money laundering case would be solved without the need for a jury trial.
Authorities say that McGonigal on behalf of Deripaska used a US entity to hide his activity which violated US sanctions.
Deripaskathe owner of the Russian group is himself was indicted by the Justice Department in 2022 for violating sanctions imposed on him following allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election.
As an FBI official, McGonigal entered into investigations related to Russian interference in the 2016 election, including the FBI’s investigation on links between former President Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia.
