Charles McGonigal, once special agent in charge of FBI N.Y.'s Counterintelligence Division, was charged with violating U.S. sanctions, among other accusations.
McGonigal, 54, of New York City, and Shestakov, 69, of Morris, Connecticut,"both previously worked with Deripaska to attempt to have his sanctions removed, and, as public servants, they should have known better," U.
S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams said in a statement."This Office will continue to prosecute those who violate U.S. sanctions enacted in response to Russian belligerence in Ukraine in order to line their own pockets." Both men are charged with one count of conspiring to violate and evade U.S. sanctions, in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act , one count of violating the IEEPA, one count of conspiring to commit money laundering, and one count of money laundering, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Shestakov is also charged with one count of making false statements, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, prosecutors said. Charles McGonigal, the former head of counterintelligence for the FBI’s New York office, leaves Manhattan Federal Court on January 23, 2023 in New York City. "The FBI is committed to the enforcement of economic sanctions designed to protect the United States and our allies, especially against hostile activities of a foreign government and its actors," FBI Assistant Director in Charge Michael J. Driscoll said."Russian oligarchs like Oleg Deripaska perform global malign influence"After sanctions are imposed, they must be enforced equally against all U.S. citizens in order to be successful," Driscoll added."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." It was then-President Barack Obama who in 2014 issued Executive Order 13660, which declared a national emergency with respect toOn April 6, 2018, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Deripaska as a Specially Designated National , sanctioning him for acting on behalf of a senior official of the Russian Federation’s government and for operating in the Russian energy sector. "The FBI is committed to the enforcement of economic sanctions designed to protect the United States and our allies, especially against hostile activities of a foreign government and its actors," FBI Assistant Director in Charge Michael J. Driscoll said. In 2021, the two defendants agreed to and did investigate a rival Russian oligarch of Deripaska in return for concealed payments from Deripaska, in violation of sanctions the United States imposed in 2018, the indictment says. McGonigal and Shestakov allegedly knew their actions violated U.S. sanctions because, among other reasons, while serving as special agent in charge, McGonigal received then-classified information that Deripaska would be added to a list of oligarchs
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