A former high-ranking FBI special agent has been charged with several counts after allegedly aiding a U.S.-sanctioned Russian oligarch and accepting payments for services.
Charles McGonigal, a retired special agent in charge with the FBI's Counterintelligence Division, and Sergey Shestakov, a court interpreter, were charged with conspiring to violate and evade U.S. sanctions, money laundering, violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and conspiring to commit money laundering.
Each of the charges carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
McGonigal supervised and participated in investigations regarding Russian oligarchs, according to a press release from the Department of Justice (DOJ). Shestakov, who also was charged with making false statements, is a Russian diplomat turned U.S. citizen who works with the U.S. government as a Russian translator.
According to the press release, a few years after McGonigal retired from the FBI in 2018, he and Shestakov "conspired to provide services" to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska in 2021.
The services were a violation of U.S. sanctions against Deripaska imposed in 2018, which CNN reported were in connection to Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
According to the DOJ, McGonigal and Shestakov conspired with Deripaska in an attempt to remove Deripaska's sanctions. The U.S. officials allegedly accepted payment from Deripaska after they agreed to investigate a rival Russian oligarch of Deripaska's.
The DOJ said McGonigal and Shestakov concealed Deripaska's involvement in the investigation by shielding his name, forging signatures and using shell companies, or companies that exist only on paper, to send and receive money from Deripaska for the services.
Political analyst Pat Brody tweeted the news on Monday afternoon and said McGonigal was part of the investigation into former President Donald Trump's alleged connections to Russia during the 2016 election.
"Former FBI agent Charles McGonigal, who was head of counterintelligence in the New York Field Office and a part of the investigation into supposed ties between Trump and Russia, has been arrested for his alleged ties to Russia," Brody tweeted.
BREAKING: Former FBI agent Charles McGonigal, who was head of counterintelligence in the New York Field Office and a part of the investigation into supposed ties between Trump and Russia, has been arrested for his alleged ties to Russia.
— Pat Brody 🇺🇸 (@patbrody3) January 23, 2023
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Michael J. Driscoll called Deripaska's actions "hostile" and condemned the U.S. officials for allegedly violating the sanctions.
"Russian oligarchs like Oleg Deripaska perform global malign influence on behalf of the Kremlin and are associated with acts of bribery, extortion, and violence," Driscoll said in the press release.
"After sanctions are imposed, they must be enforced equally against all U.S. citizens in order to be successful. There are no exceptions for anyone, including a former FBI official like Mr. McGonigal. Supporting a designated threat to the United States and our allies is a crime the FBI will continue to pursue aggressively," Driscoll added.
It is not the first time Deripaska has been involved in attempts to evade his sanctions.
In September, he violated the sanctions after scheming to fly his girlfriend to the United States so their child could be born in America. He also allegedly used shell companies to advance his business interests, conspired with three other individuals to bypass sanctions, and in one instance reportedly benefited from the $3 million sale of a California music studio, according to the New York Post.
Newsweek reached out to the DOJ for comment.
Update 1/23/2023, 1:10 p.m. ET: This article was updated to include a tweet from political analyst Pat Brody.
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