Former Top FBI Official in New York Charged in Money Laundering - The New York Times

New York|Former Top F.B.I. Official successful New York Charged successful Money Laundering

A erstwhile high-level F.B.I. authoritative has been indicted connected charges that helium conspired to interruption U.S. sanctions connected Russia by taking concealed payments from a Russian oligarch, Oleg V. Deripaska, successful instrumentality for investigating a rival oligarch, the authorities said connected Monday.

The erstwhile official, Charles McGonigal, who had been the peculiar cause successful complaint of the F.B.I.’s counterintelligence part successful New York earlier helium retired successful 2018, had supervised and participated successful investigations of Russian oligarchs, including Mr. Deripaska, the authorities said.

Federal prosecutors successful Manhattan said Mr. McGonigal, 54, violated U.S. sanctions by agreeing to assistance Mr. Deripaska, who himself was indicted past twelvemonth connected sanctions charges.

Mr. Deripaska, an aluminum magnate with ties to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, was a lawsuit of Paul Manafort, who for respective months successful 2016 served arsenic Donald J. Trump’s run president and successful 2018 was convicted of fiscal fraud and different crimes.

The indictment unsealed successful Federal District Court successful Manhattan connected Monday charges the erstwhile F.B.I. official, Mr. McGonigal, with 1 number of violating U.S. sanctions, 1 number of wealth laundering and 2 conspiracy counts.

Mr. McGonigal’s lawyer, Seth D. DuCharme, said his lawsuit intends to plead not blameworthy astatine his quality successful national tribunal successful Manhattan connected Monday.

“Charlie served the United States capably, effectively, for decades,” said Mr. DuCharme. “We person intimately reviewed the accusations made by the authorities and we look guardant to receiving find truthful we tin get a presumption connected what the grounds is upon which the authorities intends to rely.”

The indictment besides charged a 2nd man, Sergey Shestakov, a erstwhile Soviet and Russian diplomat who aboriginal became an American national and worked arsenic a Russian interpreter for courts and authorities offices. Mr. Shestakov’s lawyer, Bennett M. Epstein, declined to comment.

Mr. McGonigal’s apprehension shocked erstwhile colleagues who worked intimately with him. They said helium chiefly investigated Russian counterintelligence and espionage during his lengthy vocation with the F.B.I. Mr. McGonigal besides took connected highly delicate assignments successful the quality community, starring an F.B.I. squad that investigated wherefore C.I.A. informants successful China were being arrested and killed.

Adam Goldman and William K. Rashbaum contributed reporting.