Ex-top FBI official charged with working for sanctioned Russian oligarch

Charles McGonigal, who once led the agency’s counter-intelligence division in New York, faces four counts including sanctions violations and money laundering

He is accused of being paid by Oleg Deripaska to investigate a rival oligarch, and of pushing for the lifting of sanctions on the Russian billionaire

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Charles McGonigal, the former head of counterintelligence for the FBI’s New York office, stands silently as his lawyer gives a statement to the media in New York on Monday. Photo: AFP

Published: 2:34am, 24 Jan 2023Updated: 8:25am, 24 Jan 2023

A former top FBI official was charged on Monday with working for sanctioned Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, as US prosecutors ramp up efforts to enforce sanctions on Russian officials and police their alleged enablers.

Charles McGonigal, who led the FBI’s counter-intelligence division in New York before retiring in 2018, pleaded not guilty to four criminal counts including sanctions violations and money laundering at a hearing in Manhattan federal court.

He was released on US$500,000 bond, following his arrest over the weekend.

Prosecutors said McGonigal, 54, in 2021 received concealed payments from Deripaska, who was sanctioned in 2018, in exchange for investigating a rival oligarch.

McGonigal was also charged with unsuccessfully pushing in 2019 to lift sanctions against Deripaska.

Sanctions “must be enforced equally against all US citizens in order to be successful,” FBI Assistant Director in Charge Michael Driscoll said in a statement. “There are no exceptions for anyone, including a former FBI official.”