Pierre Girgis, a dual U.S.-Egyptian citizen from Manhattan, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a misdemeanor charge of failing to label information he shared on behalf of the Egyptian government as political propaganda.
Girgis admitted to distributing information about expatriates’ military draft obligations in 2019 without proper labeling, violating U.S. law.
This plea deal marks a significant reduction from the felony charges he initially faced, which included accusations of spying on U.S.-based critics of Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and facilitating Egyptian officials’ access to restricted police trainings in Manhattan. Those charges will be dropped as part of the agreement.
Defense lawyer Andrew Dalack expressed relief, stating the case had been “overcharged from the beginning.” Girgis, 42, now faces up to six months in prison, with sentencing set for October 3.
The case is one of several recent challenges for U.S. prosecutors in pursuing foreign agent charges as part of broader efforts to counter foreign influence.