A former FBI agent responsible for tracking down spies will receive his sentence for hiding payments from a previous Albanian intelligence officer.
On Friday, Charles McGonigal, who previously held a high-ranking position in the FBI’s New York office, will receive his sentence for hiding $225,000 in cash that he received from a former Albanian intelligence officer.
McGonigal pleaded guilty
In September, the defendant pleaded guilty to concealing from the FBI the payments he received from a former employee of Albania’s intelligence agency who had relocated to New Jersey.
McGonigal’s admission of guilt led to the dismissal of charges against him for not reporting his trips abroad to meet with foreign government officials and businesspeople while working for the FBI.
He was given a prison term of over four years in New York for his involvement with a Russian oligarch who is under sanctions and is a trusted friend of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
The accusations in both instances signified a shocking downfall for an individual who previously held a prominent position in the FBI’s counterintelligence department.
The prosecutors in Washington claimed that McGonigal’s behavior indicated that he was influenced and that his post-retirement job was not his sole motive.
The prosecution stated that the FBI had to reassess multiple investigations that the individual was aware of in order to determine if they had been compromised.
According to prosecutors, the defendant was involved in important and sensitive cases for the FBI. However, his actions in relation to his conviction have raised concerns about his credibility and could potentially pose a threat to these cases. As a result, there has been a thorough internal review that has required a significant amount of government resources.
According to court records, McGonigal’s attorney stated that he purposefully left out information in order to hide the fact that he had started his business networking plan and received a loan of $225,000 before retiring from the FBI.
McGonigal’s troubles began
After serving for over 20 years at the FBI, McGonigal focused on high-profile national security cases such as preventing an attack on the New York City subway and handling the release of classified information by WikiLeaks. He eventually reached the position of counterintelligence chief in New York and retired in 2018.
According to legal records, McGonigal’s downfall began in 2017 as he was getting ready to retire.
McGonigal asked the former Albanian intelligence officer, who had become a naturalized U.S. citizen, for a loan as they discussed business opportunities. The loan was never repaid. The two traveled to Albania and other countries where the individual had business interests and met with foreign nationals on multiple occasions.
During one of his trips, McGonigal had a meeting with the prime minister of Albania. He cautioned the prime minister against giving valuable oil drilling licenses to Russian front companies, as it was something he had a personal stake in as a former intelligence officer. As a gesture of thanks, McGonigal gave the prime minister an FBI hat.
According to prosecutors, he also visited Kosovo, a country in the Balkans, with the intention of gathering information that could benefit both the FBI and his own personal business plans. While there, he gave a politician in Kosovo another FBI hat as a gift.
Approximately one month later, while their vehicle was stationary outside of a dining establishment in New York, the previous intelligence agent provided McGonigal with around $80,000 in physical currency as a portion of the requested loan. In 2017, he made two additional payments to McGonigal at his residence in New Jersey.
At the request of McGonigal, the bureau initiated a probe into a lobbyist from the United States who was employed by a political rival of the Albanian prime minister. This lobbyist had previously been a source for the FBI while serving as a former intelligence officer. The investigation was terminated after McGonigal’s retirement as there was insufficient evidence to support the allegations, according to prosecutors.
McGonigal’s charges in the New York case were also connected to concealing payments. He confessed to aiding Oleg Deripaska in gathering damaging information on a competing Russian oligarch and covering up the origins of the funds used for this task. This work was in defiance of U.S. sanctions imposed on Deripaska in 2018.
McGonigal expresses regret
McGonigal stated, “Upon self-reflection, I acknowledge that my pursuit of financial gain after retiring from the FBI clouded my better judgment and moral principles.”
In a letter addressed to the federal judges presiding over his sentencings in Washington and New York, McGonigal’s wife Pamela stated that he had been driven by ambition and a desire to provide a comfortable life for his family upon his retirement.
She stated that she thinks his ambition caused him to stray and lose sight of the consequences of his choices and behavior.
According to his lawyer, McGonigal will begin serving his prison term on March 18th.
Caitlin Yilek
Source: cbsnews.com