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Ex-FBI agent arrested for working with oligarchs
A former FBI agent has been arrested. The reason: he worked for a Russian oligarch. More precisely: He is said to have done research on rivals for money.
Published: 20 minutes ago
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An arrest was made in connection with the Russian oligarch and Putin friend Oleg Deripaska (right).
A former senior FBI official has been arrested and charged with allegedly working for Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska. The 54-year-old Charles M.* is said to have conducted investigations into a rival of Deripaska in return for covert payments, the US Department of Justice announced on Monday.
The former head of the FBI’s counterintelligence department in New York is accused of violating US sanctions and money laundering, among other things. Each of the four charges carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Oligarch also charged
The US authorities had imposed sanctions on Deripaska in 2018 because of his closeness to Russian President Vladimir Putin (70). Last September, the aluminum billionaire was then charged with violating US sanctions. He is said to have tried to get his two children US citizenship by circumventing the sanctions.
According to the US Department of Justice, the now accused ex-FBI agent had investigated Russian oligarchs during his time with the federal police. He retired from the FBI in 2018. In 2021 he is said to have conspired with a former Russian diplomat, who is now also accused, to work for Deripaska.
Embezzled money earlier
After negotiations with a Deripaska representative, the two men agreed to investigate a rival Russian oligarch “in exchange for covert payments by Deripaska,” the Justice Ministry said.
In a separate case, the agent is charged with receiving $225,000 from a former Albanian intelligence agent while he was with the FBI. (AFP)