Charles F. McGonigal, a former high-ranking FBI official who once played a pivotal role in the controversial Trump-Russia collusion investigation, was sentenced Friday to an additional 28 months in federal prison.
McGonigal, 55, faced judicial consequences for not disclosing a large sum of $225,000 that he received from an Albanian businessman linked to the Albanian government.
The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, along with FBI Assistant Directors Donald Alloway of the Los Angeles Field Office and David Sandberg of the Washington Field Office.
U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly imposed the sentence, which also includes a three-year period of supervised release after McGonigal is imprisoned.
McGonigal was previously the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's New York Field Office, a role in which he was responsible for, among other duties, counterintelligence investigations.
In September, McGonigal admitted that he received at least $225,000 in cash from someone who also traveled with him abroad, where he met foreign nationals. This person later became an FBI informant in a criminal case involving foreign political lobbying, a case over which McGonigal had supervisory authority.
The court recognized that his actions significantly obstructed the course of justice.
As Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's New York Field Office, McGonigal had a significant role in overseeing national security and counterintelligence matters from August 2017 until his retirement in September 2018.
“During this time, McGonigal concealed from the FBI the nature of his relationship with a former foreign security officer and businessman who had ongoing business interests in foreign countries and with foreign governments. Specifically, McGonigal concealed from the FBI that he received at least $225,000. dollars in cash from that person and traveled with him abroad and met with foreign nationals, in part to further their own business interests, according to the Justice Department.
This ruling comes after his previous conviction on charges unrelated to the current case.
The Gateway Pundit reported in December that McGonigal was sentenced to 50 months in prison, with an additional $40,000 fine, in the Southern District of New York on charges of conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and engaging in money laundering.
McGonigal was arrested on January 21, 2023 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on charges of conspiring with Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch sanctioned by the US government.
His guilty plea in August came after a detailed investigation revealed that he agreed in 2021 to provide services to Oleg Deripaska, including an attempt to remove him from the US sanctions list in 2019.
US Attorney Damian said: “After serving as a high-ranking FBI official who oversaw and participated in investigations into Russian oligarchs, Charles McGonigal has now admitted that he agreed to evade US sanctions by providing services to one of those oligarchs, Oleg Deripaska.” Williams for the Southern District of New York in a statement.
“This office will continue to hold accountable those who violate U.S. sanctions for their own financial benefit.”
US Attorney Damian Williams highlighted the seriousness of McGonigal's betrayal, stating: “Charles McGonigal violated the trust his country placed in him by using his high-ranking position at the FBI to prepare for his future in business. Once he left public service, he put our national security at risk by While providing services to Oleg Deripaska, a Russian businessman who serves as an agent for Vladimir Putin.Today's ruling is a reminder that anyone who violates U.S. sanctions — especially those in whom this country has placed their trust — will pay a heavy penalty.
Executive Assistant Director Larissa L. Knapp of the FBI's National Security Branch condemned McGonigal's behavior as a clear act of treason.
“Charles McGonigal's behavior can be summed up in one word – betrayal. He betrayed everything he once swore to protect. Today's sentencing is a message to everyone, no matter who they are, that the FBI does not tolerate those who choose to put America's national security at risk.” Prioritizing personal gain over an oath to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
According to the Department of Justice, the 28-month prison sentence announced Friday is not a reprieve but an extension, and is scheduled to run consecutively to the previous 50-month term ordered by the Southern District of New York. The former FBI agent is expected to spend more than six years in federal prison.
McGonigal's case has gained notoriety not only because of his recent criminal activities, but also because of his previous role with the FBI.
He was a key figure in launching the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller into the now-debunked collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 presidential election.
That investigation, which sought to uncover alleged coordinated efforts to “influence the election,” and which ultimately found no evidence proving that such collusion occurred, became one of the most egregious investigations of a sitting president in U.S. history.
When McGonigal was chief of the cybercrime division at FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., he was one of the first officials to receive intelligence on allegations that George Papadopoulos, a former campaign adviser to President Trump, claimed the Russians had compromising information about Hillary Clinton.
This is what investigative journalists Michael Shellenberger and Matt Taibbi say: The Russian collusion story was not the result of foreign intelligence information, but rather was a deliberate preparation by the CIA during the Obama administration.
“It has come from within the US government's intelligence community, including the CIA, that they have asked the intelligence agencies of the so-called Five Eyes countries – the other English-speaking countries, including Britain and Australia – to spy on 26 of Trump's associates, or “At least they had a list of the 26 identified partners.”
“This is new information. Some people have theorized and speculated about this. We feel very confident that our sources were in a position to know about this report and have great credibility. Shellenberger added: “It is clearly a very serious allegation because it is illegal espionage and unauthorized interference.” Legal in elections.
