US courts sends former FBI spy to prison for working for Russian oligarch

The US District Court for the Southern District of New York has passed a verdict in the case of former FBI employee Charles McGonigal, who was accused of working for Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, close to the Russian president.

Source: Voice of America

Details: McGonigal, who worked in the New York branch of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, was sentenced to 50 months in prison and fined US$40,000.

McGonigal had previously pleaded guilty and expressed remorse, so the judge sentenced him to four years and two months instead of the five years prosecutors had sought.

The former FBI spy, in particular, was accused of conspiring with a businessman close to the Kremlin to find compromising material on Deripaska's competitor, Vladimir Potanin, in exchange for a reward. McGonigal cooperated with Deripaska in defiance of sanctions imposed on him for Moscow's meddling in the 2016 US election and even tried to help him avoid sanctions. After the verdict was handed down, Damian Williams, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, made it clear that the court's decision is a signal to all those who would try to use their official position for personal enrichment, violating American law.

Charles McGonigal admitted that he acted on Oleg Deripaska's instructions and received a monetary reward through front men. Prosecutors also accused him of planning to continue cooperating closely with the Russian oligarch after he left government service. Still, his plans were foiled by colleagues in the same FBI unit he ran.

Charles McGonigal, a high-ranking former FBI spy, headed the FBI’s New York Counterintelligence division from 2016 to 2018. Following the court proceedings, the prosecutor's office noted that during these years, he was involved in investigating Russian oligarchs, including Deripaska.

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