Disclaimer The article shares only particular details about Paul Whelan and his conduct. A Twitter post by Benny Johnson states that President Biden chose Brittney Grinner in the prisoner swap over Paul Whelan. __ 11:25 p.m. Officials say the American ex-Marine ET Friday in San Antonio. "I can't imagine how someone with a law enforcement background who is also a former US Marine, and who is now working in corporate security and is also aware of the risks of travel, would have broken any law let alone the law related to espionage," he said. Speaking in the White House Oval Office as he announced Ms Griner's release, Mr Biden said that "sadly and for totally illegitimate reasons, Russia is treating Paul's case differently than Brittney's". "[31] On January 4, 2019, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "We don't agree with individuals being used in diplomatic chess games We are all extremely worried about him and his family. At the time, he was identified only as an American. (Reuters) - Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine serving a 16-year sentence in a Russian penal colony on espionage charges, did not figure in a prisoner exchange on Whelan, 48, was arrested Friday in Moscow, and was charged with espionage. [3][6], According to a deposition Whelan gave in 2013, he was in law enforcement from 1988 to 2000 as a police officer in Chelsea, Michigan, and a sheriff's deputy in Washtenaw County. Video, 00:01:32, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. At Kelly Services, his title was senior manager of global security and investigations. Dustoff262 Charter Member / Moderator "Factbox: Paul Whelan, Ex-U.S. Marine Jailed in Russia on Spying Charges." In 2001, Whelan began work at Kelly Services, a Troy-based company that offers consulting, temporary workers and workforce solutions to businesses around the world. There were even allegations that Norway was under pressure to obtain the information from its partners in Nato. During his imprisonment, Whelan has been working in a clothing factory, which he called a sweatshop in a 2021 interview with CNN. In Frode Berg's case, the Norwegian government stayed quiet. "Had this been an independent court, they would have reached only one decision - not guilty," his lawyer, Vladimir Zherebyonkov said after the verdict. He joined the Marine Reserves May 10, 1994, and was an administrative clerk and administrative chief. He again joined the marines in 2004 and then in 2006. For his crimes, he was ultimately discharged from the Marine Corps for bad conduct, a ruling he unsuccessfully attempted to appeal. Paul Whelan, the U.S. citizen and former Marine detained in Russia on espionage charges, was reportedly convicted of attempting to steal roughly ten grand from Uncle Sam while deployed to Iraq in 2006, according to the Washington Post. Published Jan 5, 2019 3:56 PM EST. A member of his defence team has since revealed that he was coming under intense pressure from the FSB to confess, interrogated several times without his lawyers present. But there's nothing glamorous about prison life in Lefortovo. [36][e], On June 15, 2020, Whelan was convicted and sentenced to 16 years in a Russian prison for espionage by a court in Moscow. Watching from the wooden courtroom benches, socially distanced and in medical facemasks, were the ambassadors of the US, UK and Canada. [16][17][18] Whelan's twin brother David said Whelan arrived in Moscow on December 22 to attend the wedding of a former fellow Marine at the Hotel Metropol Moscow and to assist the groom's family members on their first visit to Russia, a country he had visited many times. WebEither a spook or doing some industrial espionage. He joined the Marine Reserves May 10, 1994,and was an administrative clerk and administrative chief. It seems unusual behaviour if he was trying to recruit the man for US intelligence. the man replied to my enquiries, adding that his own interest was in the ex-Marine's time in Iraq. So when Whelan's plight became public, there was speculation that he could be the human collateral. https://home.army.mil/bliss/index.php/about/news/administrative-discharge-status-can-affect-benefits. The Russian government declared Paul Whelan guilty long ago. Both Ireland and the U.K. have asked that their diplomats be allowed to visit him. His lawyers do plan to appeal against the verdict but other, bigger forces are already at play. U.S. military records released shortly after his arrest last week showed that Paul Whelan had been convicted at a court-martial of charges that included larceny but did not disclose the nature of his crime. It is an extraordinarily long time. It was due to his knowledge of Russia that he had been asked to attend the wedding of a fellow former marine in Moscow in December 2018, his brother David told the BBC's Newshour after his arrest. (Courtesy of the Whelan Family via AP), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. [43] The Russian side insisted on the additional release of Vadim Krasikov, an assassin serving a life sentence for murder in Germany. "In reality, they abducted Mr Bean on holiday.". "We are not looking for an exchange, we are looking for justice for Paul," US Ambassador John Sullivan insisted, emerging from the verdict at Moscow City Court to a wall of microphones and cameras. He was caught for bad conduct during his marine service. The US Embassy and government have been very vocal about Whelan's detention. https://jag.navylive.dodlive.mil/Portals/58/Mil_Jus_Quick_Guide.pdf. A recent newspaper report claimed that the American had come to FSB attention over a decade ago when, as Kommersant's source says, he "actively" began contacting Russian servicemen. So no evidence - the wire taps or surveillance footage the case is reportedly based on - has been made public. At that, the judge ordered the TV cameras to be removed from court. The Russian Rosbalt news agency quoted a source claiming that Whelan was working directly for US intelligence, tasked with obtaining a list of personnel at "one of Russia's secret institutions". New details have emerged about the military history Novi businessman Paul Whelan, who has been accused of spying in Russia. CNN reports he was accused of using someone else's social security number, and "writing bad cheques". Its pages document the trip with shots of tourist spots and captions laden with exclamation marks. Image Via KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images. A national security official said Thursday that Whelan was never really an option for the Russians during the negotiations about freeing Griner, and that due to the nature of the espionage charges against him, Russians rejected all the proposals U.S. officials presented them. So he just thought it's an opportunity to have that, so why not? Over the summer, reports indicated that the U.S. government was trying to negotiate the release of both Griner and Whelan in exchange for Bout. Relations between Moscow and London are at a low point in the wake of Britains allegations that Russian military intelligence agents were behind the nerve-agent poisoning of a Russian former double agent and his daughter in the British city of Salisbury in March. 26 Aug. 2008, https://www.jag.navy.mil/courts/documents/archive/2008/WHELAN,%20P.N.%20200800152%20PCE.pdf. Mr Whelan, 52, was given a 16-year jail sentence in 2020 after being arrested in Moscow on suspicion of spying in 2018. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The twin brother of the American man being held in Moscow on alleged spying charges is urging the U.S. government to help get his brother released. "No way? If so, it appears that Paul Whelan was blind to the threat. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. This material may not be reproduced without permission. He held the rank of staff sergeant with Marine Air Control Group 38 working as an administrative clerk and administrative chief, and he was part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Ex-Marine officer Whelan stated that he was in Russia to attend a friends wedding, and he knew that the flash drive contained some holiday photos he had received. By then, we'd learned that the American had visited Russia multiple times. ", the American wrote back. Britains foreign secretary says Russia is trying to use a man detained as an alleged spy as a pawn in its geopolitical games. He rose to the rank of staff sergeant in December 2004 and was deployed in the war against Iraq for several months in 2004 and 2006. Her release was secured via a prisoner exchange in which U.S. authorities released convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. The convening authority approved the sentence as adjudged.2 We have "They don't want me to speak with you.". Why wasn't Whelan included in the prisoner swap? [47][48] His twin brother David ascribed Paul's acquisition of the multiple nationalities to "probably a genealogical interest as much as anything. David Whelan, meanwhile, has dismissed the allegations as nonsense. But in 2008 Mr Whelan, who had achieved the rank of staff sergeant, was discharged from the marines for bad conduct. Whelan had plumped to visit Russia, explaining that, for a "single man like me" the scheme was "an opportunity to travel throughout the worldand experience the diversity of culture". Just two weeks after his arrest, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov declared that the American had been caught "red-handed" conducting a "concrete, illegal act". It's clear that the US government has no concessions that the Russian government will take for Paul Whelan. The day the verdict was announced, Whelan said he thought it was a foregone conclusion, and shouted from within a glass-enclosed area in the courtroom that Russia feels impotent in the world, so theyre taking political hostages.. Labelling it "Dinner with Tovarishi", or comrades, he messaged the image to a third Russian friend - even as he was supposedly discussing how to transfer classified intelligence. Irelands Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Friday that its embassy in Moscow is requesting consular access to Whelan. His attorney, Vladimir Zherebenkov, has said his client unwittingly received a flash drive containing state secrets while visiting Russia for a wedding in 2018. In a trial the U.S. criticized as unfair, Whelan was convicted of spying and sentenced to 16 years in a Russian penal colony. Then-Staff Sgt. The US has said repeatedly the two men were convicted in open and fair trials. 1995 - 2023 by Snopes Media Group Inc. A retired border guard, Frode Berg admitted to delivering envelopes of cash and spy instructions on behalf of Norwegian military intelligence agency. In 2008, Paul was discharged from the Marines for hisBad Conduct. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. Paul Whelan would be brought for multiple custody hearings and appeals over the months and we squeezed in almost every time. Whelan then spent over a decade working as a corporate security expert. "I will be with guys from the FSB, so should be okay! Yes. What are your opinions for this swap? ((This Dec. 8 story has been corrected to fix paragraph 8 to make clear Whelan was given a bad-conduct discharge from the Marine Corps, not a dishonourable discharge).) Following the release of basketball star Brittney Griner from Russian captivity, US President Joe Biden faces fresh questions about another imprisoned American: former US marine Paul Whelan. And yet, unknown to those closest to him, Paul had been court-martialled for trying to steal more than $10,000 from the US government. It was an Automobile component distributor company. The website content does support later descriptions of Paul Whelan by contacts, colleagues and family as an enthusiastic world traveller who "made friends pretty much everywhere" and had an interest in Russian culture. Paul Nicholas Whelan (born March 5, 1970) is a Canadian-born former United States Marine with U.S., British, Irish, and Canadian citizenship. Although we were only allowed to attend for the opening remarks, we managed to snatch several conversations with him. "I'm not allowed to give you details, but I can tell you I was set-up. A city watching out for Russian and Chinese spies, Putin, power and poison: Russias elite FSB spy club, More than 20,000 Russians dead in Bakhmut, US says, France May Day protests leave dozens of police injured, 'Fighter jets are roaring over my home in Sudan'. A scroll through their profiles, soon after his arrest, revealed almost all to be men - most considerably younger than him. Brother of detained American speaks. So we were eligible for British and Canadian citizenship because we were born in Canada to British parents. In terms of severity of punishment, this form of discharge is second to and distinct from a dishonorable discharge. Whelan was born on March 5, 1970,[4] in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada,[5] to British parents with Irish heritage. This is a punitive related discharge and there is a distinction between the two, however, he did receive a less than Honorable one. James B. Hoke/U.S. "[25][39], Whelan was initially held at the Correctional Colony No. Claim: Paul Whelan received a punitive discharge from the Marines. Paul Whelan, the U.S. citizen and former Marine detained in Russia on espionage charges, was reportedly convicted of attempting to steal roughly ten grand from Uncle Sam while deployed to Iraq in 2006, By "They want Yaroshenko and Bout, that's who they want back," Paul Whelan claimed, naming two high-profile Russian prisoners in America as the court bailiffs ushered me and my microphone out of the room. Odds are he did something wrong. He started as an IT project manager for a company called Kelly Services in the early 2000s, but deployed with the marines within a couple of years on the first of two tours to Iraq, in 2004 and then 2006. Whelan, his family and the U.S. government have repeatedly stated that the charges are baseless and that he was framed. "No-one's hiding that, everyone talks about it, all the officials," he told the press. He was discharged from the Marines for bad conduct in 2008 after being convicted of charges related to larceny, according to military and court records. In a 9 November statement - which largely focused on Ms Griner - the White House said that the US government is willing to follow up on its exchange offer for Ms Griner with "alternative potential ways forward" to secure the release of Americans detained in Russian, including Mr Whelan. "If we exchange one person, we should exchange him for one person, not for two". And adding to his discomfort was chronic pain from a hernia that eventually strangulated, resulting in emergency surgery. "The FSB thing wasn't a big deal, until he was entrapped.". At Kelly Services, his title was senior manager of global security and investigations. Reuters, 8 Dec. 2022. www.reuters.com, https://www.reuters.com/world/paul-whelan-ex-us-marine-jailed-russia-spying-charges-2022-12-08/. "It all sounds incredibly nave now," his brother concedes of the relationship, after finally obtaining the passwords for Paul's computers and trawling through his files. Meanwhile, the front page of his website invited visitors to click on the image of a young Russian soldier to learn more about his "hobbies and military service". . More: Paul Whelan's early life and the possibility of congressional intervention. He is also a serving intelligence officer. "There's absolutely no reason he should have been in my room and no reason he should have given me any sort of device.". His rank was downgraded to corporal as he was found guilty of cheque bounce and attempted theft of around $10,000 during his office. Did he commit any severe crime? Whelan joked back then on his website, which has since been archived. Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russias war in Ukraine. Its clear that the U.S. government has no concessions that the Russian government will take for Paul Whelan. Sharing pictures of the visit, he said he had a "quite enjoyable time" exploring the cities of Moscow and St Petersburg. Born in Canada to British parents of Irish heritage, he later moved to the US entitling him to multiple passports as a result. In 2008, Paul was discharged from the Marines for his Bad Conduct. Perhaps Whelan enjoyed the element of danger that came from flirting with the FSB, hanging out with intelligence officers. [37] [38] His lawyers said they believed Russia would I did not commit a crime," Whelan said, telling me that a friend had turned-up at his hotel that evening unannounced. His job at BorgWarner involves overseeing security for facilities, assets and people in Auburn Hills and around the world, Graham said. The company disclosed that it didnt have any facilities in Russia. A Moscow hairdresser, meanwhile, was contacted by Whelan on Instagram around five years back. He now told me his friend had planted the device in his pocket, without him realising. Nicknamed the merchant of death, Bout is a notorious arms dealer and has been in U.S. custody since his arrest in Thailand in 2008. Video, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, Grim life of American 'spy' in Russian labour camp, CNN reports he was accused of using someone else's social security number, MasterChef Australia host Jock Zonfrillo dies, Shooting suspect was deported four times - US media, Street piano confiscated as public 'break rules', King Charles to wear golden robes for Coronation, Yellen warns US could run out of cash in a month, Explosion derails train in Russian border region, More than 100 police hurt in French May Day protests, Banana artwork in Seoul museum eaten by visitor, Disney faces countersuit in feud with Florida. Ambassador Jon Huntsman, Jr. met with Whelan at Lefortovo Prison in Moscow. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Though U.S. President Joe Biden had been attempting to secure the release of both Griner and Whelan in one move, Russian authorities refused to include Whelan in any trade. Whelan also worked as a Chelsea police officer from 1988-2000 as well as for the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department, hetestified in a2013 court deposition.

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