Ex-FBI Counterintelligence Official Sentenced To Prison For Aiding Russian Oligarch

Charles McGonigal, a former FBI official charged with working for sanctioned Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, arrives at court in New York City on August 15.

A former top FBI counterintelligence official was ordered on December 14 to spend over four years in prison for violating sanctions against Russia by going to work for a Russian oligarch seeking dirt on a wealthy rival after he finished his government career. Charles McGonigal, 55, was sentenced to four years and two months in prison in Manhattan Federal Court by Judge Jennifer H. Rearden, who said McGonigal harmed national security by repeatedly flouting sanctions meant to put economic pressure on Russia to get results without military force. He was also fined $40,000 and ordered to forfeit $17,500.