NEW YORK: A former FBI agent facing charges of working for sanctioned Russian billionaire Oligarch Oleg Deripaska has decided to change his stance of not pleading guilty in court, reported the Western media.
Charles McGonigal has been accused of evading U.S. sanctions by working with Deripaska and money laundering.
He had previously pleaded not guilty. The U.S. District Judge Jennifer Rearden in Manhattan would hear the change of plea matter on August 15.
In January, the Department of Justice filed two simultaneous cases against Charles McGonigal, who served as the head of counterintelligence at the FBI before his 2018 retirement.
The first case, filed in New York is related to his affiliation with Russian billionaire Deripaska. In the second case filed in Washington, D.C, he is accused of collecting $225,000 in unreported payments from a former Albanian intelligence officer.
Ex-FBI Agent to Plead Guilty
McGonigal initially pleaded not guilty in both cases but is expected to change his stance before the court.
On Monday, Manhattan Federal Judge Jennifer Rearden in a briefing wrote that the court has been informed that defendant Charles McGonigal wishes to enter a change of plea.
Last week his counsel, stated that there was a chance that he money laundering case would be settled without the need for a jury trial.
Authorities say that McGonigal on behalf of Deripaska falsely used a U.S. entity to hide their activity in violation of U.S. sanctions.
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Deripaskathe owner of the Russian group is himself was indicted by the Justice Department in 2022 for violating sanctions imposed on him following allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election.
As an FBI official, McGonigal entered into investigations connected to Russian interference in the 2016 election, including the FBI’s investigation in ties between former President Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia.
