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Expected to plead guilty to charges he took money from Neza, Reuters: McGonigal had business interests in Europe

Expected to plead guilty to charges he took money from Neza, Reuters: McGonigal

A former top FBI agent is expected to plead guilty Friday to charges that he hid $225,000 in cash from a former Albanian intelligence officer who became a source in an FBI investigation, records show. of the court, Reuters writes today .

Charles McGonigal, who headed the FBI's counterintelligence division in New York before retiring in 2018, is scheduled to appear in a plea hearing in Washington federal court at 2 p.m. local time.

McGonigal faces a nine-count indictment in Washington, accusing him of failing to report cash payments and trips he took with the former intelligence officer to Europe in 2017 and 2018. He previously pleaded not guilty to those charges. accusation.

An entry in the court file indicated that McGonigal intends to change his plea on Friday. He did not specify what charges he would plead guilty to.

McGonigal's attorney and a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington declined to comment ahead of the hearing.

US prosecutors say the former Albanian intelligence officer had business interests in Europe and was a source for an FBI investigation involving foreign lobbying that McGonigal oversaw.

The most serious charges against McGonigal carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, but it is likely that prosecutors will seek a lighter sentence as part of a plea deal.

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