In a stunning development, last week saw a former FBI agent pleaded guilty to one charge stemming from a six-figure cash payment.

As The Hill reported, Charles McGonigal stood accused of hiding more than $225,000 he received from an Albanian businessman and government official who later testified against him.

Agent headed counterintelligence operations in Europe

According to a Department of Justice (DOJ) press release put out this past Friday, that money came while McGonigal was heading up the FBI's counterintelligence operations in Europe.

It explained the FBI agent's illegal activity began in August of 2017 and continued until  McGonigal retired in September of the following year.

The press release went on to say that U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly has scheduled McGonigal's sentencing for February 16, 2024.

While McGonigal's charge carries a statutory maximum penalty of five years in prison, the press release noted that his sentence will be based on "U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors."

Jim Jordan says funding threats are Congress' "only leverage"

McGonigal's guilty plea comes in the wake of calls to reform the FBI, including from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan.

Jordan slammed the nation's biggest federal law enforcement agency during a May interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity following the release of Special Counsel John Durham's report on the Trump-Russia investigation.

"The only way we can hold them accountable is to go at the one thing that everybody cares about — the money," the Washington Examiner quoted Jordan as saying.

"We have to look at the appropriations. That’s the only leverage we ultimately have in Congress," the Ohio Republican continued.

"We have to look at the power of the purse"

"We have to look at the power of the purse if we’re ever going to get control of these agencies who did this not just once, but multiple times," Jordan insisted.

"We got to keep talking about it. We got to pass legislation if we can to deal with it. That’s the only leverage we ultimately have in Congress," he continued.

"We have to look at the power of the purse if we’re ever going to get control of these agencies who did this not just once, but multiple times," the lawmaker declared.

"We got to keep talking about it. We got to pass legislation if we can to deal with it. And then we have to look at the money, the appropriations, and say, 'How can we direct these funds? How can we better position these funds? What can we do to stop this from happening in the future?'" Jordan concluded.