New York: A former senior FBI counterintelligence agent who tracked Russian oligarchs has been charged with violating US sanctions by allegedly working covertly for one. The officer was also accused of stealing money from a former foreign security official in a separate indictment.

An indictment that was unsealed Monday accused Charles McGonigal of working with a former Soviet diplomat who was a Russian interpreter on behalf of Oleg Deripaska, a Russian billionaire whom he allegedly referred to as a "big man." and was referred to in the code as "the client". McGonigal served as the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division in New York from 2016 to 2018.

According to the Justice Department, McGonigal worked to get Deripaska's sanctions removal in 2019 and money from him to investigate a rival oligarch in 2021. McGonigal oversaw and participated in the investigation of Russian oligarchs, including Deripaska.

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By investigating McGonigal, the FBI demonstrated its willingness to pursue one of its own. The indictment is still an unpleasant headline for the FBI at a time when the bureau is embroiled in separate, politically charged investigations — including the handling of classified documents by President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump — as newly ascendant Republicans in Congress look to Promises high-profile FBI and Justice Department decisions.

Both McGonigal and the interpreter, Sergei Shestakov, were taken into custody on Saturday and are being held at a federal prison in Brooklyn. McGonigal was taken into custody upon arrival at John F. Kennedy International Airport, while Shestakov was taken into custody at his home in Morris, Connecticut. Both pleaded not guilty on Monday and were granted bail.

McGonigal, 54, and Shestakov, 69, face charges of breaching the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and conspiracy to breach it, as well as conspiracy and actually committing money laundering. Shestakov is also accused of lying to the FBI on important matters.

McGonigal's attorney, Seth DuCharme, told reporters after his arraignment that his client "has had a long, distinguished career with the FBI."

While it is undoubtedly a difficult day for Mr. McGonigal and his family, Ducharme, a former top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, said: "We will review the evidence, we will consider it carefully, and we have a lot of confidence in Mr. McGonigal."

Lawyers for Shestakov and Deripaska have received messages requesting comment. Separate charges of concealing at least $225,000 in cash that McGonigal allegedly received from a former Albanian intelligence officer while working for the FBI were filed in Washington, D.C. was brought to federal court.

Federal prosecutors claim that while concealing payments from the FBI, McGonigal acted as an FBI supervisor that was intended to benefit the former intelligence officer financially. The indictment does not allege or characterize the payment as a bribe to McGonigal.

One of them involved asking a pharmaceutical firm to give $500,000 to that person's business in exchange for scheduling a meeting with a member of the US delegation to the United Nations.

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McGonigal's alleged behavior is "wholly inconsistent with what I see from the men and women of the FBI, who demonstrate every day through their actions that they are worthy of the public's trust," said FBI Director Christopher Wray. wrote in a memorandum sent to the entire bureau. on Monday.

In light of Russia's ongoing threats against Ukraine, the US Treasury Department added Deripaska to its list of individuals subject to sanctions in 2018 because of his alleged ties to the Russian government and energy industry.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan accused Deripaska and three associates of conspiring to violate US sanctions by arranging the birth of their child here in September.

According to the indictment, Shestakov helped establish a relationship between McGonigal and Deripaska after he left his position as a diplomat in 1993 and began working as an interpreter for federal courts and prosecutors in New York City.

Shestakov introduced McGonigal to a former Soviet and Russian diplomat who, according to the indictment, served as a Deripaska agent in 2018 while he was still employed by the FBI.

The Justice Department claims the man was "rumored in public media reports to be a Russian intelligence officer," although his name is not mentioned in the court documents.

Shestakov allegedly asked McGonigal for assistance in securing the agent's daughter an internship in the counterterrorism and intelligence divisions of the New York Police Department.

Prosecutors claim that McGonigal consented and informed a member of the police force that "I have an interest in her father for a number of reasons."

The woman allegedly claimed to have a "unusually close relationship" with an FBI agent, who she claimed had granted her access to private FBI files, the indictment states. 

A police sergeant subsequently informed the NYPD and FBI of her claims. According to the indictment, the sergeant thought it was "unusual for a college student to receive such special treatment from the NYPD and FBI."

According to the indictment, McGonigal left the FBI in 2019 and began working as a consultant and investigator for a global law firm attempting to "delist," or reverse, Deripaska's sanctions.

Prosecutors claim that the law firm paid McGonigal $25,000 through a company owned by Shestakov, though the work was ultimately put on hold due to events like the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the indictment, Deripaska's agent hired McGonigal and Shestakov in 2021 to gather information on a rival oligarch with whom Deripaska was vying for control of a significant Russian corporation.

The agents were paid $51,280 up front and $41,790 per month through a Russian bank to a New Jersey company owned by McGonigal's friend. According to the prosecution, McGonigal concealed the true nature of the payments from his friend.

Additionally, McGonigal is charged with concealing from the FBI important information about a trip to Albania in 2017 that he took with the former Albanian intelligence official who is alleged to have given him at least $225,000.

When she arrived, according to the Justice Department, McGonigal met with Albania's prime minister and urged caution when giving Russian front companies permission to drill for oil in Albania. McGonigal's Albanian associates had a monetary stake in those selections.

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Prosecutors in Washington claim McGonigal "caused" the FBI's New York office to open a criminal lobbying investigation in which the former Albanian intelligence official was to serve as a confidential human source as an illustration of how he allegedly blurred personal gain with professional responsibilities. Prosecutors claim that McGonigal did this without disclosing to the FBI or Justice Department his financial ties to the man.