Flash News

They don't allow him to run as an independent, Merkuri files criminal charges against the head of the SP branch in Saranda

Another left from the ranks of Alibeaj, the DP candidate for councilor in Durrës withdraws from the race

"This despot today has all the powers in his hands", Berisha: Rama's goal was Albania without opposition

The situation of COVID-19 in Albania. A loss of life, that's how many people were infected in the last 24 hours

Two helicopters crash in the US: Nine confirmed dead

KRYESORE

"He was paid to arrange meetings for Rama with US officials", the American magazine discloses the scheme of how McGonigal laundered the money

Politiko 2023-01-27 21:52:54

"He was paid to arrange meetings for Rama with US officials", the

Charles McGonigal, one of the FBI's top officials, was indicted on two counts on Monday night, including an all-expenses-paid trip to Tirana where he met with Prime Minister Edi Rama and receiving a sum of 225 thousand dollars from an Albanian-American

The case has echoed in the international media, mainly the American ones, for days, while new details about this scandal are revealed day by day.

The Dispatch, a conservative American magazine, writes that McGonigal was paid to help current Albanian and Bosnian officials (including the prime minister of Albania) try to arrange meetings with senior US officials. He reportedly even opened an FBI criminal investigation at their request.

Also, the article shows the scheme followed by the former money laundering agent who received bribes.

Excerpt from the article:

Charles McGonigal, the former special agent in charge (SAC) of foreign counterintelligence in the FBI's New York field office, has been arrested and charged with sanctions violations and money laundering for his alleged involvement with a Russian oligarch. An indictment is just the government's version of what is often a complex story, McGonigal retained a prominent attorney, and we're sure we'll learn more. But if a senior counterintelligence official is indeed turned in by foreign governments, it is a serious blow to American interests.

The government filed separate lawsuits in New York and Washington on Monday. The New York indictment charges McGonigal with sanctions violations and money laundering. The Treasury Department sanctioned Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, an associate of Vladimir Putin, in 2018. The Justice Department alleges that while McGonigal was still in the office, a suspected Russian intelligence officer working for Deripaska approached him about an internship for his daughter with New York Police Department. McGonigal allegedly obliged, and to the surprise of the NYPD, the Russian officer's daughter claimed to police that he had provided her with access to confidential FBI information.

Sipas padisë, pasi u tërhoq nga FBI, McGonigal u takua me Deripaskën jashtë vendit, ndërsa kjo e fundit kërkoi një firmë ligjore për ta përfaqësuar atë në përpjekjet për t'u hequr nga lista si një ent i sanksionuar. Firma mbajti McGonigal si hetues për 25,000 dollarë. Më pas, DD pretendon se McGonigal filloi në mënyrë të paligjshme të punonte drejtpërdrejt për Deripaska për të hetuar një tjetër oligark, në këmbim të një mbajtësi prej 51,000 dollarësh dhe 42,000 dollarë në muaj. McGonigal dyshohet se i ka pastruar këto pagesa përmes një biznesi të paidentifikuar në Neë Jersey, në pronësi të një miku, të cilit ai i ishte bashkuar më parë, duke përdorur një identitet të rremë, ndërsa ishte ende në FBI.

The Washington indictment charges McGonigal with making false statements about his finances and foreign contacts and travel while with the FBI. According to the indictment, McGonigal received at least $225,000 while still in the bureau to help current and former Albanian and Bosniak officials (including the prime minister of Albania) try to arrange meetings with senior US officials. He reportedly even opened a criminal FBI investigation at their request.. The Dispatch