One of the former leaders of the FBI’s counterspy division, George McGonigal, recently pleaded guilty to conspiring with foreign government officials when it came to receiving payments in an alleged criminal plot.
McGonigal, who went on to become deputy director of the FBI’s International Counterintelligence Division in 2008, was charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, according to a statement by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The case, which has been under investigation since November 2014, involves alleged bribery payments to various government officials and a foreign company in Morocco and Brazil. The bribes were allegedly given to receive highly confidential information related to U.S. government law enforcement and intelligence activities.
McGonigal was accused of working with two unidentified co-conspirators and forming two offshore companies in the Seychelles to conceal the payments. The payments in question totaled around $3 million and were facilitated through foreign bank accounts.
McGonigal has agreed to plead guilty to the charges, and is currently facing up to five years in prison and a potential fine of $250,000. He is also likely to be subject to extensive monitoring and possible asset seizure.
The case is an example of how U.S. government officials, regardless of their past positions and rank, are subject to the same laws and can be punished for flouting them. It also highlights the FBI’s commitment to cracking down on criminal activity and combating corruption, both within its organization and within the government at large.
