A disgraced FBI agent who was previously charged with bribery is back in the spotlight, with conservatives accusing him of espionage and calling for him to face treason-related charges after the Justice Department revealed that he had shared sensitive information with a Russian oligarch intent on attacking President Trump.
For background, on February 16, 2024, the Department of Justice confirmed that Charles McGonigal, a 55-year-old former FBI Special Agent who was previously in charge of the agency’s New York Field Office, was sentenced to 28 months in prison after he accepted a six-figure bribe in exchange for sharing information with a Russian oligarch linked to the Albanian government who allegedly sought to use the info to work against President Trump.
A press release issued on February 16, 2024, the Department of Justice shed light on the charges against McGonigal. The release explained that McGonigal ” hid from the FBI that he received at least $225,000 in cash from the individual and traveled abroad with him and met with foreign nationals, in-part (sic) to advance their private business interests.”
Continuing, the release clarified that McGonigal was arrested at JFK International Airport on January 21, 2023, and was “simultaneously indicted on charges by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of Columbia and the Southern District of New York.” Moreover, the DOJ reported that McGonigal was sentenced to 50 months in prison and ordered to pay a hefty fine “for conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and to commit money laundering in an unrelated case being prosecuted in the Southern District of New York.”
Moreover, the charges against McGonigal resurfaced in May 2025 when key political figure Roger Stone called him out online for “running the Russian collusion hoax,” saying that he was “caught taking bribes from the Russians,” adding that he was “convicted of bribery when he must be charged with espionage.” Stone added, “His wife is living a rather lavish lifestyle. DOJ must investigate.”
Furthermore, as Roger Stone mentioned, on August 15, 2023, McGonigal was also charged with “conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and to commit money laundering in connection with his 2021 agreement to provide services to Oleg Deripaska, a sanctioned Russian oligarch.” A commenter responded with a critical take on the DOJ, saying, “Why? They investigate nothing else?”
Weighing in on the additional charges against McGonigal, Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen said that the former FBI agent “betrayed his oath and actively concealed his illicit work at the bidding of a sanctioned Russian Oligarch,” adding, “Today’s plea shows the Department of Justice’s resolve to pursue and dismantle the illegal networks that Russian oligarchs use to try to escape the reach of our sanctions and evade our laws.”
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In addition, FBI Counterintelligence Assistant Director Suzanne Turner said that McGonigal “broke his oath to defend the Constitution and turned his back on his duty to protect the American people in favor of his own greed by working for a sanctioned Russian oligarch,” going on to say, “No matter the perpetrator, even if it’s one of our own, the FBI will go to great lengths to investigate individuals who put their own interests above U.S. national security.”
Watch coverage of the charges against McGonigal:
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