Ex-FBI Official Who Helped Launch Crossfire Hurricane Charged With Laundry List Of Crimes

The Department of Justice has unsealed two indictments against Charles McGonigal on Monday. He was a former FBI chief who was involved in the decision of Crossfire Hurricane to investigate then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Here are six takeaways from yesterday’s news.

1. McGonigal Charged with Conspiring with Russian Interpreter to Launder Money — and More.

Monday morning brought breaking news that the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York had unsealed a five-count indictment McGonigal, Sergey Shestakov were charged with violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and conspiring to launder funds. Shestakov was also accused by the FBI of lying to them.

McGonigal, the indictment stated, was previously a “senior official” Working as a counterintelligence agent, counter-espionage and organized crime specialist in the FBI. From 2016 until his retirement in 2018, McGonigal was the special agent in charge of the Counterintelligence Division of the FBI’s New York Field Office, a role in which he supervised and investigated Russian oligarchs, according to the indictment.

Shestakov’s part is described as an “amazing” person. “former Soviet and Russian diplomat,” He was in the same position from 1979 to 1993, when he retired. According to the press release, Shestakov is now a U.S. citizen. “more recently served as an interpreter for United States federal courts and prosecutors.”

McGonigal & Shestakov were charged with violating sanctions imposed by the United States upon Oleg Deripaska. This was in violation the IEEPA. The indictment specifically stated that the two were accused of violating the sanctions imposed by the United States on Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch, in violation of the IEEPA. “agreed to and did investigate a rival oligarch of Deripaska in return for concealed payment from Deripaska.”

According to Monday’s press release, McGonigal and Shestakov negotiated with a representative of Deripaska, identified as Agent-1 in the indictment, “to conceal Deripaska’s involvement” In the relationship “by, among other means, not directly naming Deripaska in electronic communications,” using instead various nicknames, such as “the big guy.” McGonigal and Shestakov were also suspected to have used the drug. “shell companies,” Deripaska to conceal the payments.

McGonigal allegedly first met Deripaska’s representative, Agent-1, while still employed by the FBI, but then in the spring of 2021, after McGonigal had retired from the bureau, he was allegedly solicited to work directly for Deripaska. The indictment stated that Deripaska hired McGonigal for the investigation of a second Russian oligarch, with whom Deripaska was involved in a dispute over control of a Russian company. Deripaska was alleged to have agreed to pay McGonigal $51,280 and then monthly payments totaling $41,790. The payments were made to a New Jersey company, which later transferred the funds over to McGonigal or Shestakov.

The activities among McGonigal, Shestakov, and Deripaska’s intermediaries “largely” ceased, according to the indictment, upon the FBI executing search warrants and seizing McGonigal and Shestakov’s electronic devices on Nov. 21, 2021. Shestakov allegedly lied shortly before the FBI executed the warrant.