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Charles McGonigal, a former FBI official who has been charged with working for sanctioned Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, arrives at Federal Court in New York City, U.S., March 8, 2023. Charles McGonigal, who led the FBI’s counterintelligence division in New York before retiring in 2018, is scheduled to appear at a plea hearing in Washington federal court at 2 p.m. (1800 GMT). He pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge in federal court in Manhattan last month in a separate case related to his work for Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska while Deripaska was under U.S. sanctions. McGonigal’s lawyer and a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington declined to comment ahead of the hearing. U.S. 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 supervised.

Persons: Charles McGonigal, Oleg Deripaska, Brendan McDermid, Deripaska, McGonigal, Andrew Goudsward, Scott Malone, Grant McCool Organizations: FBI, Court, REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Attorney’s, Thomson Locations: Russian, New York City, U.S, Albanian, New York, Washington, Manhattan, Europe

☆ Rudy Giuliani 'may have been compromised' by the Kremlin, and FBI leaders didn't care, alleges special agent Johnathan Buma
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Johnathan Buma says his FBI supervisors didn't care about his leads tying Giuliani to Russian intelligence. They are also investigating Hunter Biden for the firearm-related charges that he was indicted for this week. FBI didn't care about Giuliani's possible Kremlin ties, Buma says"Rudy Giuliani may have been compromised by individuals suspected of being involved in Russian counterintelligence influence operations," Buma told Insider. According to Buma's disclosure, an FBI Intelligence Information Report asserted that Fuks was "a co-opted asset of the RIS" or the Russian intelligence services. Hunter Biden left his laptop at a computer repair store in April 2019.

Persons: Johnathan Buma, Giuliani, Hunter Biden, Robert Mueller's Trump, Donald Trump's, Buma, Biden, Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Pavel Fuks, Fuks, Burisma, Hunter's, George Soros, Hunter Biden's, Bill Barr's, Geoffrey Berman, Bill Barr, Barr, Berman, he's, Amelia Kosciulek, we're, aren't, Mattathias Schwartz Organizations: FBI, Service, Los Angeles Field Office, Trump, GOP, of Justice, New York Post, Southern, of New, Washington Field Office, New York Field Office Locations: Russian, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Mar, Lago, Ukrainian, Moscow, Washington, Ukraine, Ukraine —, Delaware, of New York, Buma, schwartz79@protonmail.com

CNN —China appears to have suspended its surveillance balloon program following a major diplomatic incident earlier this year, when one of the country’s high-altitude spy balloons transited the United States, multiple sources familiar with US intelligence assessments told CNN. The apparent suspension of the program comes as both the US and China have sought to stabilize an increasingly tense relationship. The US assessed at the time that the spy balloon was part of an extensive surveillance program run by the Chinese military, CNN has previously reported. “We believe that (the balloon) did not collect while it was transiting the United States or flying over the United States, and certainly the efforts that we made contributed,” Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. The more sensitive radar systems led the US military to spot more unidentified objects in US airspace, however, leading to three additional shootdowns of unidentified high-altitude objects in the weeks following the Chinese balloon incident.

Persons: Liu Pengyu, majeure, ” Liu, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Xi “, Xi, ”, Biden, Antony Blinken, Nancy Pelosi, enraging Xi, Christopher Johnson, Johnson, ’ ” Johnson, Pat Ryder Ryder, Trump, Glen VanHerck Organizations: CNN, Communist Party, US, Economic Cooperation, CIA, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Foreign Ministry, FBI, Pentagon, Northern Command, North American Aerospace Defense Command Locations: China, United States, American, Beijing, Taiwan, Hainan, Alaska, Canada, Idaho, Montana, Asia, San Francisco, United

☆ FBI Director Christopher Wray issues warning about number of Russian spies in the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Katie Bo Lillis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Washington CNN —FBI Director Christopher Wray warned Thursday that the number of Russian spies operating inside the United States is “still way too big,” despite efforts to kick them out. “The Russian traditional counterintelligence threat continues to loom large,” Wray said during public remarks at the Spy Museum in Washington. “The Russian intelligence footprint, and by that I mean intelligence officers, is still way too big in the United States and something we are constantly bumping up against and trying to block and prevent and disrupt in every way we can.”The threat of Russian spies operating on US soil is nothing new. Russia employs not only “traditional intelligence officers” but also cut-outs, Wray said on Thursday, citing a Mexican national arrested by US authorities in 2020 and accused of assisting Russian intelligence. “I will say that, over the last several years, the US has made positive significant strides in reducing the size of the Russian intelligence officer footprint in the United States, kicking them out, in effect,” Wray said.

Persons: Christopher Wray, ” Wray, “, Vladimir Putin, Russia –, Wray, Johns Organizations: Washington CNN —, Spy Museum, Mexican, Johns Hopkins ’ School, International Studies Locations: United States, Russian, Washington, Russia, Seattle, United Kingdom, Dutch

☆ CEO, ex-NSA hacker says ‘people hate’ this advice—but it’s your ‘single biggest’ protection from scams
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

"Everybody hates multi-factor authentication," cybersecurity expert and former government hacker Kyle Hanslovan tells CNBC Make It. Microsoft has claimed that multi-factor authentication can prevent 99.9% of cyberattacks on personal accounts. Fewer than half of U.S. small business-owners require employees and customers to use multi-factor authentication, according to the Cyber Readiness Institute. They're more likely to choose the path of least resistance whenever they come across an obstacle, like an extra step for authentication, Hanslovan says. "If you [use multi-factor authentication] and choose that app, you're almost ahead of most of the pack and attackers will move to somebody who's the slowest one."

Persons: Kyle Hanslovan, Huntress, Hanslovan, I've, you've, Warren Buffett Organizations: CNBC, U.S . Air Force, National Security Agency, Air National Guard, Microsoft, Duo Security, Cyber Readiness, Mobile, Google Locations: U.S

☆ Cuba says its citizens were recruited to fight with Russia in Ukraine — but the government is only cracking down now 'because they got caught,' former counterintelligence officer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Lauren Steussy | Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Cuban government says it's cracking down on efforts to recruit citizens to fight with Russia. But Cuba experts say it's likely that Cuba, a longtime Kremlin ally, was involved in these efforts. AdvertisementAdvertisementAndrés Albuquerque, a Miami-based political analyst, said it's also possible Russia worked alongside the Cuban government to recruit citizens. The recruitment in Cuba — as well as similar efforts in June in Kazakhstan — comes as Russia faces a manpower crisis. Just this past June, Cuba's Army Corps General Álvaro López Miera met with his Russian counterpart, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, in Moscow.

Persons: Chris Simmons, Simmons, they've, Cuba didn't, it's, Putin, Albuquerque, Cuba —, Fidel Castro, Álvaro López Miera, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu Organizations: Service, Cuban, Russia, Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Defense Intelligence Agency, NPR, Defense, Western Military District, New York Times, Times, Kazakhstan —, Cuba's Army, Russian Locations: Cuban, Russia, Cuba, Kremlin, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Russian, Albuquerque, Miami, Kazakhstan, Soviet Union, War, Moscow

China operates talent programs at various levels of government, targeting a mix of overseas Chinese and foreign experts. China has previously said its overseas recruitment through the TTP aimed to build an innovation-driven economy and promote talent mobility, while respecting intellectual property rights, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. It said that anyone who recommends a candidate who is then selected for the talent programs would receive "diamonds, bags, cars, and houses". In some cases, these people said, those experts will be offered roles at Chinese chip companies' overseas operations. ($1 = 7.1475 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Julie Zhu, Fanny Potkin, Eduardo Baptista and Michael Martina; editing by David CrawshawOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Florence Lo, Xi Jinping, Qiming, Dean Boyd, Nick Marro, Chen Biaohua, Chen, Ma Yuanxiao, Dawei Di, Di, Zhuji, Julie Zhu, Fanny Potkin, Eduardo Baptista, Michael Martina, David Crawshaw Organizations: REUTERS, Washington, Reuters, China, Ministry of Industry, Information Technology, U.S . Commerce Department, Xinhua, Ministry of Science, Technology, U.S, government's National Counterintelligence and Security Center, Economist Intelligence, China Center for Information Industry Development, China Semiconductor Industry Association, Qiming, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard, Stanford, HK, LinkedIn, Hangzhou Juqi Technology, Fortune, Beijing Institute of Technology, BIT's School of Integrated Circuits, Electronics, Britain's University of Nottingham, University of Hong, BIT, Communist Party's Organization Department, Zhejiang University, Communist Party, Thomson Locations: China, HONG KONG, SINGAPORE, WASHINGTON, U.S, China's, Qiming, Beijing, Hangzhou, ResearchGate, University of Hong Kong, Ma, Zhejiang, Wenzhou, Cambridge

☆ China accuses government worker of spying for the CIA in second public espionage claim
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Chinese authorities on Monday publicly accused a government worker of spying for the CIA, the second high-profile espionage case publicized this month as Beijing ramps up its emphasis – and rhetoric – on national security. The 39-year-old Chinese national, identified only by his surname Hao, became acquainted with a US embassy official in Japan while applying for a US visa, the ministry said. Upon returning to China, Hao landed a job at a government ministry, and allegedly met with CIA agents multiple times to “provide intelligence and collect espionage funds,” the Chinese spy agency claimed. The secretive agency, which overseas intelligence and counterintelligence both within China and overseas, has taken on a higher profile to warn the Chinese public against espionage. Earlier in August, two US Navy sailors in California were arrested for allegedly providing sensitive US military information to Chinese intelligence officers.

Persons: Hao, ” Hao, ”, Xi Jinping Organizations: CNN, CIA, Ministry of State Security, US Locations: Beijing, Japan, China, Italy, WeChat, United States, California

☆ US warns space companies about foreign spying
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Michael Martina | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"We anticipate growing threats to this burgeoning sector of the U.S. economy," a U.S. counterintelligence official told Reuters, adding that "China and Russia are among the leading foreign intelligence threats to the U.S. space industry." The document warned companies to be on guard for facility visit requests, and attempts to gather confidential information at conferences. U.S. authorities have for years said Chinese hackers are targeting U.S. space know-how, including having accessed computers at the NASA Goddard Space Center and Jet Propulsion Laboratory, as well as numerous companies involved in aviation, space and satellite technology. China says its space program is for peaceful purposes, but U.S. military officials say Beijing sees space as crucial to its military strategy. The U.S. warned this year that China seeks to match or surpass it as a leader in space by 2045.

Persons: Tom Brenner, Tao Li, Michael Martina, Don Durfee, Jamie Freed Organizations: Federal Bureau of, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Counterintelligence and Security, Air Force Office, Special Investigations, NASA Goddard Space Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, U.S, China, Russia, Washington, Beijing

☆ Intelligence Agencies Warn Foreign Spies Are Targeting U.S. Space Companies
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Julian E. Barnes | More About Julian E. Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Chinese and Russian intelligence agencies are targeting American private space companies, attempting to steal critical technologies and preparing cyberattacks aimed at degrading U.S. satellite capabilities during a conflict or emergency, according to a new warning by American intelligence agencies. and the Air Force issued a new advisory to American companies Friday morning. The broad warning to industry said that foreign intelligence services could be targeting space firms, their employees and the contractors that serve those companies. Space companies’ data and intellectual property could be at risk from attempts to break into computer networks, moles placed inside companies and foreign infiltration of the supply chain, officials said. “Foreign intelligence entities recognize the importance of the commercial space industry to the U.S. economy and national security, including the growing dependence of critical infrastructure on space-based assets,” the Counterintelligence Center warning said.

Persons: “, ” Organizations: National Counterintelligence and Security Center, Air Force, Counterintelligence Locations: Russian, U.S

☆ The US is quietly warning its Middle East partners about the cost of stocking up on Chinese-made weapons
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Chinese arms sales in the Middle East have increased by 80% over the past decade, a result of Beijing's expanding relationships there and its willingness to deliver arms faster and with fewer stipulations than Washington. FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty ImagesMiddle Eastern countries, led by the Arab Gulf states, have for decades been major buyers of US-made weapons. Chinese arms sales to the region are "substantial and expected to continue to increase," said Ahmed Aboudouh, an associate fellow at Chatham House. "But it's just one factor among many, including varying threat perceptions of Iran among the Arab Gulf states as well as varying levels of trust between the Arab Gulf governments themselves." Paul Iddon is a freelance journalist and columnist who writes about Middle East developments, military affairs, politics, and history.

Persons: Michael Kurilla, Kurilla, Loong, KARIM SAHIB, Colin Kahl, Biden, Kahl, We're, FAYEZ NURELDINE, Ahmed Aboudouh, Aboudouh, James Hodgman, Russia's, ANDREW CABALLERO, REYNOLDS, Emily Hawthorne, RANE, that's, Hawthorne, Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed, Xi, ANDY WONG, Kahl's, Paul Iddon Organizations: Service, US Central Command, Senate Armed Services Committee, Dubai Airshow, Getty, Chatham House, Pentagon, Getty Images, United Arab Emirates, Patriot, Al Udeid, Base, US Air Force, Tech, Air Defense, Turkey, NATO, East, Khalifa, UAE, US, Abu Dhabi Crown, Gulf Cooperation Council Locations: China, Washington, Wall, Silicon, Beijing, AFP, British, Saudi, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, East, North Africa, Qatar, Russia, Europe, Gulf, UAE, Yemen, Ankara, Turkey, Prince, Xinhua, Khalifa, Abu, Arab Gulf, Iran

[1/3] Charles McGonigal, a former FBI official who has been charged with working for sanctioned Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, arrives at Federal Court in New York City, U.S., August 15, 2023. At the time, McGonigal pleaded not guilty to four criminal counts including sanctions violations and money laundering. McGonigal told the court he was "deeply remorseful" for his actions. U.S. District Judge Jennifer Rearden is scheduled to sentence McGonigal on Dec. 14. U.S. prosecutors charged McGonigal as they ramped up efforts to enforce sanctions on Russian officials and police their suspected enablers following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Persons: Charles McGonigal, Oleg Deripaska, Brendan McDermid, McGonigal, Vladimir Potanin, Seth DuCharme, Jennifer Rearden, Matthew Olsen, Washington, Jody Godoy, Grant McCool Organizations: FBI, Court, REUTERS, Prosecutors, Deripaska, U.S . Department of Justice's National Security Division, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Russian, New York City, U.S, New York, Manhattan, Russia, Cyprus, New Jersey, Ukraine, Nornickel

☆ Disgraced former FBI agent Charles McGonigal pleads guilty to working with a sanctioned Russian oligarch
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | Rebecca Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Charles McGonigal pleaded guilty on Tuesday to working with a sanctioned Russian oligarch. He admitted to money laundering and violating sanctions. McGonigal pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering and conspiracy to violate sanctions. Insider previously reported that federal prosecutors charged McGonigal with money laundering and making false statements in his mandatory employee disclosures to the FBI. In court, McGonigal admitted he took money to collect information about Deripaska's business competitor in order to get him sanctioned.

Persons: Charles McGonigal, McGonigal, Oleg Deripaska, Judge Rearden, Rearden, Seth DuCharme, He's Organizations: FBI, Service, Washington DC —, Russia, Washington DC, UN Locations: Russian, Wall, Silicon, New York, Washington

☆ Former head of FBI intelligence pleads guilty to conspiracy in connection to scheme working for sanctioned Russian oligarch
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Lauren Del Valle | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The former head of counterintelligence for the FBI’s New York field office pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of conspiracy in connection to a scheme working for a sanctioned Russian oligarch in 2021. In court on Tuesday, McGonigal answered a series of questions about the illegal scheme for Deripaska and his mental competency before District Judge Jennifer Rearden accepted his guilty plea. “Mind is clear,” he told the judge, saying he feels “great.”In court, McGonigal, 55, said he is “deeply remorseful” for his actions. “I agreed with another party to collect open source derogatory information about a Russian oligarch named Vladimir Potanin who was a business competitor of Oleg Deripaska,” he said. McGonigal now could face up to a maximum five-year term in prison for the one count he pleaded guilty to Tuesday, Rearden said in court.

Persons: Charles McGonigal, John F, Oleg Deripaska, Seth DuCharme, McGonigal, Jennifer Rearden, ”, “, Vladimir Potanin, Deripaska, Rearden Organizations: CNN, FBI’s, FBI, Emergency Economic, US, Office, Southern, of, Kennedy International Airport Locations: York, Russian, of New York, New York, Washington, Albanian, Albania, McGonigal, United States

☆ Ex-FBI counterintelligence official pleads guilty to conspiracy charge for helping Russian oligarch
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

McGonigal is expected to change his plea to guilty after initially pleading not guilty. A former high-ranking FBI counterintelligence official pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to violate sanctions on Russia by going to work, after he retired, for an oligarch he once investigated. McGonigal told the judge he accepted over $17,000 to help Deripaska collect derogatory information about another Russian oligarch who was a business competitor. McGonigal pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiring to launder money and violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. He supervised investigations of Russian oligarchs, including Deripaska.

Persons: Charles McGonigal, Oleg Deripaska, McGonigal, Deripaska, Rebecca Dell, Jennifer H, Rearden, Vladimir Putin, Matthew G, Olsen Organizations: FBI, Manhattan Federal Court, Emergency Economic, U.S, District of Columbia, Justice Department's National Security Division Locations: New York City, McGonigal, Russia, Crimea, New York, Washington ,, Albanian, Cypress, New Jersey, United States, Russian

By the time he reached middle age, Charlie McGonigal was living a comfortable suburban life. He had married and raised two children in a tidy Maryland neighborhood near the Capital Beltway. He coached his co-workers on an office softball team and went to church on Sundays. Apart from his outward image as a wholesome and responsible G-man, however, there was another, less visible side to Mr. McGonigal, federal prosecutors and his former colleagues say. But a close look at Mr. McGonigal’s life and career reveals an arc that appears to have little or nothing to do with espionage and international intrigue.

Persons: Charlie McGonigal, “, ”, Charles Franklin McGonigal, McGonigal, McGonigal’s Organizations: Federal Bureau of Investigation Locations: Maryland, Ohio, New York, Russian, Russia

CNN —China’s civilian spy agency has exposed a Chinese national for allegedly providing sensitive military information to the CIA, the latest in a string of highly public espionage accusations between Washington and Beijing. Zeng was allegedly offered “a huge amount” of money and immigration to the US for his family, in exchange for sensitive information about the Chinese military, the statement said. China’s announcement about the alleged CIA spy came a week after two US Navy sailors in California were arrested for allegedly providing sensitive US military information to Chinese intelligence officers. China’s Ministry of State Security is a civilian agency that oversees intelligence and counterintelligence both within China and overseas. China’s military also has its own intelligence agency.

Persons: CNN —, Zeng, ”, Xi Jinping Organizations: CNN, CIA, China’s Ministry of State Security, US, FBI, China’s Communist Party, The New York Times Locations: Washington, Beijing, Italy, China, California, United States, Russia

☆ Exclusive: A veteran FBI agent told Congress that investigations into Giuliani and other Trump allies were 'suppressed'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

An FBI veteran said his superiors suppressed investigations of Trump, Insider can exclusively reveal. Those figures, the statement claims, explicitly included "anyone in the [Trump] White House and any former or current associates of President Trump." The directions he received included a strict prohibition on filing intelligence reports relating to Giuliani or any other Trump associate. Even before the emergence of this new whistleblower, there has been ample evidence of individual FBI agents with pro-Trump partisan sympathies. Some FBI agents were reportedly satisfied by an assertion made by Trump's legal team that he'd turned over all his classified documents, and wanted to close the Mar-a-Lago government records investigation down.

Persons: Giuliani, Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump, President Trump, Scott Horton, Robert Mueller, Trump, Pavel Fuks, Joe Biden, Giuliani wasn't, doesn't, Charles McGonigal, Spokespeople, Fuks, Christopher Wray, Donald Trump's Mar, Hunter Biden, insurrectionists, Jim Jordan, Biden, Jordan, Russell Dye, Dye, Jared Wise, —, Trump's, James Comey, Peter Strzok —, he'd, Genius, Mattathias Schwartz Organizations: FBI, Trump, Trump White House, Service, White, Committee, Rolling Stone, New, GOP, Federal Government, Rep, Capitol, Capitol Police, Washington Post, Post, Justice Department Locations: Wall, Silicon, Russia, Ukrainian, York, New York, Fuks, Lago, Burisma, Anchorage, San Juan

☆ Ukraine says it busted an all-female spy ring who fed crucial military intelligence to Russia and the Wagner Group
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine says it's uncovered an all-female spy ring that passed military information to Russia. Ukraine's intelligence service said they were feeding Russia info on troop and vehicle movements. The group, based in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, passed information on to both the FSB — Russia's main spy agency — and the pro-Russian mercenary Wagner Group, according to the announcement. The purported plan was foiled due to the SBU gaining advanced knowledge and putting on extra security measures, the agency said. It is unclear if the woman arrested was part of this alleged spy ring.

Persons: it's, —, Wagner, unmasking, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Service, Counterintelligence, Ukraine's Security Service, Wagner Group Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine's Donetsk, Ukrainian, Pokrovsk, Donetsk, Russian, Mykolaiv

☆ Charles McGonigal: Ex-FBI counterintelligence chief in talks to plead guilty over work he did for Russian oligarch
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Kara Scannell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —The former head of counterintelligence at the FBI’s New York office is in talks to plead guilty to charges relating to work he allegedly did for a sanctioned Russian oligarch after leaving the government, according to a court order. Charles McGonigal was indicated earlier this year on charges, including violating US sanctions, conspiracy, and money laundering for working in 2021 with Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, who was sanctioned for interfering in the 2016 US presidential election. The same day McGonigal was charged in a separate case in Washington for concealing $225,000 he allegedly received from a former Albanian intelligence employee. McGonigal, who is one of the highest-ranking former FBI officials to be charged with a crime, has pleaded not guilty to both indictments. No further details were included in the brief court order setting the plea proceeding.

Persons: Charles McGonigal, Oleg Deripaska, McGonigal, Jennifer Reardon, ”, Seth DuCharme Organizations: CNN, Labor Locations: York, Russian, Washington, Albanian, Albania

☆ Ex-F.B.I. Official in Talks to Resolve Charges of Working for Oligarch
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Michael Rothfeld | More About Michael Rothfeld | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A former senior F.B.I. official is in talks to resolve criminal charges in two separate indictments, including entering a possible guilty plea as early as next week in a case involving accusations that he worked for a Russian oligarch, according to a public filing and statements by his lawyer in court. Mr. McGonigal was also charged by federal prosecutors in Washington with concealing his relationship with a businessman who paid him $225,000, as well misleading the F.B.I. about his contacts with foreign nationals and foreign travel, creating a conflict of interest with his official duties. Mr. McGonigal pleaded not guilty to both indictments.

Persons: Charles F, McGonigal, Oleg Deripaska, Vladimir V, Putin, Jennifer H, ” Locations: Russian, York, New York, Washington

☆ Ex-FBI agent accused of working for Russian oligarch may change plea
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Charles McGonigal, a former FBI official who has been charged with working for sanctioned Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, arrives at Federal Court in New York City, U.S., March 8, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File PhotoCompanies OK Rusal MKPAO FollowNEW YORK, Aug 7 (Reuters) - A former FBI agent accused by U.S. prosecutors of working for sanctioned Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska may change his plea in relation to criminal charges of evading U.S. sanctions and money laundering, court records showed on Monday. A change of plea hearing before U.S. District Judge Jennifer Rearden in Manhattan has been scheduled for Aug. 15. The charges against McGonigal came as U.S. prosecutors ramped up efforts to enforce sanctions on Russian officials and police their alleged enablers in response to the invasion of Ukraine. Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Mark Porter and Conor HumphriesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Charles McGonigal, Oleg Deripaska, Brendan McDermid, Jennifer Rearden, McGonigal, oligarch, Russia's, Luc Cohen, Mark Porter, Conor Humphries Organizations: FBI, Court, REUTERS, U.S, Deripaska, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Russian, New York City, U.S, Manhattan, New York, Ukraine, Washington

☆ China's sprawling spy agencies are designed to root out the 'five poisons' at home and abroad, British intelligence says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Yin Gang/Xinhua via Getty) (Xinhua/Xinhua via Getty ImagesIn a recent report to parliament, the British intelligence services detailed the operations and goals of the Chinese intelligence services. The Chinese intelligence services are also collecting information on the Chinese democracy movement at home and abroad — including in the US — in an attempt to subvert it. According to the British intelligence report, Xi has sought to make Chinese intelligence activity more professional through reform and investment. "In more ways than one, the broad remit of the Chinese Intelligence Services poses a significant challenge to Western attempts to counter their activity," the report said, citing assessments by British intelligence officers. "To compound the problem, it is not just the Chinese Intelligence Services: the Chinese Communist Party co-opts every state institution, company and citizen.

Persons: Yin, Ma Ying, Xi Jinping, Chuang, Gong, Dalai Lama, Murad Sezer, Xi, Xie Huanchi, hoover, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Chinese Communist Party, intel, Beijing, Service, Ministry of Public Security, Yin Gang, Getty, Xinhua, of State Security, of Public Security, Force, NSA, REUTERS, CCP, of, People, US National Counterintelligence and Security Center, Chinese Intelligence Services, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: China, Wall, Silicon, Beijing, Xinhua, Taipei, Singapore, Xinjiang, Taiwan, Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Istanbul, Johns

☆ China spy agency’s social media debut calls for ‘all members of society’ to combat espionage
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The Ministry of State Security oversees intelligence and counterintelligence both within China and overseas. Titled “Countering espionage requires the mobilization of all members of society,” the ministry said national security bodies should keep reporting channels, such as hotlines and online platforms, open to handle reports of suspected espionage within China in a timely manner. But those efforts have gathered pace under Xi Jinping, China’s most assertive and authoritarian leader in a generation who has made state security his top priority. Previous anti-spying driveThere have been multiple previous calls by China for the public to look for potential spies. In June last year, China announced “material rewards” of up to and above 100,000 yuan ($15,000) for tip-offs about people who endanger national security.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, ”, Xi Jinping, Greg Baker, Xiao Li, Li –, David Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, of State Security, CIA, FBI, Group, Bain & Company, Astellas Pharma, Getty Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, American, Shanghai, Japan, AFP

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