New York, USA (TEH) – The former head of counterintelligence for the FBI’s New York field office, Charles McGonigal, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one count of conspiracy in connection to a scheme working for a sanctioned Russian oligarch in 2021. A 22-year veteran of the FBI who retired in 2018, McGonigal’s guilty plea in federal court marks a shocking betrayal of trust and a dark chapter in the history of American intelligence.
The case revolves around one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and money laundering, as part of a plea deal struck with prosecutors from the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
McGonigal’s arrest at John F. Kennedy International Airport in January sent shockwaves through the intelligence community. Charged in two separate indictments in New York and Washington, DC, the disgraced former FBI ranking official was accused of working with the sanctioned Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska and concealing hundreds of thousands of dollars received from a former employee of an Albanian intelligence agency.
The case’s complexity deepened as McGonigal’s attorney Seth DuCharme indicated a possible resolution of the Albania-related case by the end of the month.
In a dramatic court appearance on Tuesday, McGonigal answered a series of probing questions about the illegal scheme for Deripaska and his mental competency before District Judge Jennifer Rearden accepted his guilty plea. “Mind is clear,” he told the judge, asserting that he feels “great.”
At the age of 55, McGonigal expressed deep remorse for his actions, at times appearing emotional. His words resonated with a profound sense of betrayal: “I appear before you in this court to take full responsibility as my actions never intended to hurt the United States, the FBI and my family and friends.”
The details of the conspiracy were laid bare as he explained his agreement with another party to collect derogatory information about Russian oligarch Vladimir Potanin, a business competitor of Oleg Deripaska. McGonigal’s understanding that the information would be used to try to get Potanin on the US sanctions list further implicates him in a web of international intrigue.
Facing a maximum five-year term in prison for the one count he pleaded guilty to, McGonigal’s sentencing is scheduled for December 14. His attorneys will present classified information about his work for the US government before imposing his sentence, adding yet another layer of complexity to this unprecedented case.
