Whelan was arrested in Moscow last week. So no evidence - the wire taps or surveillance footage the case is reportedly based on - has been made public. 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. Whelan joked back then on his website, which has since been archived. Just two weeks after his arrest, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov declared that the American had been caught "red-handed" conducting a "concrete, illegal act". He joined the Marine Reserves May 10, 1994,and was an administrative clerk and administrative chief. Whelan, 48, was arrested Friday in Moscow, and was charged with espionage. In messages home from Moscow in January 2018 - a free holiday to use up his air miles - the American described visiting restaurants with his agent-friend, as well as the museums of the Kremlin and even a British pub. Whelan's family says that he he recently flew to Moscow to attend the wedding. It does not have any facilities in Russia. Paul Whelan's Marine discharge was larceny related - Detroit [8] His work with Kelly Services and BorgWarner gave Whelan contacts with the U.S. intelligence community, federal agents and foreign embassies. And then, the Irish changed the law in the early part of the century to allow grandchildren of Irish citizens to get Irish citizenship. Whelan and his family say letters have been held back for months by investigators and parcels returned. Administrative Discharge Status Can Affect Benefits. [9][10] The specific charges against him included "attempted larceny, three specifications of dereliction of duty, making a false official statement, wrongfully using another's social security number, and ten specifications of making and uttering[a] checks without having sufficient funds in his account for payment. It is an extraordinarily long time. The American, whose glasses, side parting and blue sweater that he wore to each court appearance gave him the look of a neat, middle-aged librarian, looked back at the judge blankly. American Who Loves Russia Ensnared in New Cold War", United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, "American Paul Whelan arrested in Russia on spy charges as potential retribution for Maria Butina", "Brother of American arrested in Russia on spy charges says he was there for a wedding", "American arrested in Russia on spying charges was there for a wedding", "Twin brother of Novi man accused of spying in Russia: He's innocent", " 16 ", "Jeremy Hunt warns Russia not to play 'diplomatic chess games' over British man arrested for spying", " , ", "The curious case of the ex-marine jailed for spying", "Russia keen to raise Paul Whelan's jail time to 18 years", "Ex-U.S. Marine Paul Whelan sentenced to 16 years jail in Russia", "Paul Whelan, American Accused of Spying by Russia, Thrown in Moscow's Most Infamous Dungeon", "Details of Russian obstruction paint bleak picture for American held in Moscow", "Russia's Arrest of Paul Whelan Is Payback for Maria Butina, CIA Veterans Say", "The President* Is So Hopelessly Compromised", "Ambassador Huntsman visits American detained in Moscow", "Russia allows U.S. ambassador to meet with detained American", "American detained by Russia was convicted of trying to steal thousands of dollars while deployed to Iraq as a Marine", "Seor K: Russia and Argentina split over mysterious drug smuggling case", "Paul Whelan, American Accused of Spying, Is Said to Be Charged in Russia", "US spy suspect found with Russian 'state secrets', lawyer says", "Moscow Accuses Washington of Detaining Russian Citizen After Whelan's Arrest", "Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, convicted of espionage charges in Russia, gets 16-year prison sentence", "American Paul Whelan convicted of spying by Russia, gets 16 years in prison", "Russian court sentences US citizen Paul Whelan to 16 years in prison", "American Paul Whelan arrives at Russian penal colony after espionage conviction", "Paul Whelan: Grim life of US 'spy' in Russian labour camp", "Trevor Reed came back home, but Paul Whelan is still imprisoned in Russia", "CNN Exclusive: Biden administration offers convicted Russian arms dealer in exchange for Griner, Whelan", "In freeing Griner, Biden faced resistance abroad and at home", "Inside Biden's agonizing decision to take a deal that freed Brittney Griner but left Paul Whelan in Russia", "Griner's release puts a spotlight on Paul Whelan, another American imprisoned in Russia", "Ex-US marine accused of spying in Russia is British citizen", "US citizen held in Moscow seeks Irish consular aid", "Here's what we know about Paul Whelan, the US citizen accused of spying in Russia", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paul_Whelan_(security_director)&oldid=1152256903, American people convicted of spying for the United States, People with acquired American citizenship, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing potentially dated statements from December 2020, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 29 April 2023, at 03:53. The American disappeared without trace for three days until his twin stumbled across a news report announcing that his brother had been charged with espionage. At Kelly Services, his title was senior manager of global security and investigations. "I think Paul will be taking it very hard. "He seemed nice and was fascinated by our country, its history and our traditions and people!" And he didn't hide his interests and encounters. The records show he was also accused of using a false Social Security number on a government computer system and using a false account on the system to grade his own examinations. But the space measures 9.5 square metres between two prisoners and exercise is one hour a day on the roof. Its pages document the trip with shots of tourist spots and captions laden with exclamation marks. His service ended after he was convicted at a 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. Whelan's family are already pushing for action after a sentence that his brother, David, called "a gut punch'. Twin brother of Novi man accused of spying in Russia: He's innocent, US wants access to Michigan man held in Moscow on spy charges, Novi businessman, 48, accused of 'spy mission' in Russia, 'Does not fit any spy': What made accused Russian spy Maria Butina different. 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. The company disclosed that it didnt have any facilities in Russia. So when Whelan's plight became public, there was speculation that he could be the human collateral. "If bad actors like Russia are going to grab innocent Americans, the US needs a swifter, more direct response, and to be prepared in advance," he added. Just as there are groupies for rock bands, sports teams, and politicians, Whelan was a FSB groupie. Are you on Telegram? "That early warning meant that our family has ben able to mentally prepare for what is now a public disappointment for us," the statement added. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. PAUL N. WHELAN. (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 Almost two months had passed since his arrest, and he said he was coping "fine". Free Press staff writers Todd Spangler, JC Reindl, and USA Today'sDeirdre Shesgreen and Tom Vanden Brook contributed to this report. Odds are he did something wrong. The appropriate social media access links are given below. And, to make matters worse, he wrongfully used another person's Social Security number to engage in unlawful activity. She was imprisoned in the US in December 2018 and deported back to Russia in October 2019. He later worked as a global security executive for the auto Whelan, his family and the U.S. government have repeatedly stated that the charges are baseless and that he was framed. At the time, there were uncorroborated reports he had been caught receiving a digital storage device containing a list of intelligence officials. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The Marine Corps released Whelan's service record, showing that hewas convicted in a 2008 court-martial on charges related to larceny. In December 2018, while on a trip to attend a friend's wedding in Russia, Whelan was detained by Federal Security Service (FSB) agents. 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. But the espionage case was based entirely on Whelan's ties to one officer, with all the evidence gathered in 2018 shortly before his arrest. The defence team said the Russian had requested a loan to buy a gift for his wife, as part of his trap. A retired border guard, Frode Berg admitted to delivering envelopes of cash and spy instructions on behalf of Norwegian military intelligence agency. The three judges swept off the podium and out of court. WebOn June 15, 2020, Whelan was convicted and sentenced to 16 years in a Russian prison for espionage by a court in Moscow. Norway wasn't holding any convicted spies to trade and neither is America. So he just thought it's an opportunity to have that, so why not? Please comment. "But it was very unusual.". 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. According to court documents, he was in charge of the company's campus security group, and his duties included managing and conducting investigations, as well as handling some purchasing. Did he commit any severe crime? (Video: Rich Matthews/The Washington Post), Essential reporting from around the world. "[14] A few weeks later, Zherebenkov said Whelan had been unaware of the contents of the USB drive and believed it contained material solely of personal value such as "photographs, videos, anything at all, about his previous holiday in Russia. Irish officials say a man being detained by Russia, Paul Whelan, has requested help from the Irish government and report they will do what they can to come to his aid. He said in a deposition in 2013 that he holds a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and an MBA degree. The Russian investigators state that Paul Whelan is a spy working for military intelligence and holding the rank of Colonel or any higher post. He is currently facing. Paul Whelan Dishonorable Discharge: What Charges Made To Marine Against Bad Conduct? His lawyers do plan to appeal against the verdict but other, bigger forces are already at play. He took a military leave of absence from Kelly Services, he testified, to serve in Iraq. He is currently facingChargesof16 years imprisonmentunder the IK-17 penal colony of the Mordovia region, located in east Moscow. 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. "If I do that, I'll be in a bad way," Whelan told me, warily. Born in Canada to British parents of Irish heritage, he later moved to the US entitling him to multiple passports as a result. At the time, one ambassador told me the move had hit Moscow's spying capacity hard. Defence lawyers disclosed some details of the men's relationship early on in the case, including how the American had visited his friend's house in Sergiev Posad outside Moscow for "saunas and kebabs" the winter before his arrest. Ukraine live briefing: Kyiv targeted by missiles; explosions in Russia derail train, damage power line, Philippine presidents White House visit reflects sharp upturn in ties, Eyeing China, Biden official floats a new Washington consensus, American Trevor Reed, a former Marine who was detained in 2019, was exchanged. At a news conference on Thursday, President Biden said that the US government will "never give up" on securing Mr Whelan's release. They have also said the CIA would not recruit someone with Mr. Whelans bad conduct discharge. By then, we'd learned that the American had visited Russia multiple times. His job included campus security as well as electronic and IT-related security. A special court martial also found him guilty of failing to report his vacation time. ", US envoy visits spy suspect held in Russia, Brother of detained American speaks. "As my cousins in England would say, this is complete bollocks.". 6 Top-Notch Dental Courses Online for Beginners in 2023, What is a Token Burn? The Salisbury poisoning: What happened next? [15] He took courses at Northern Michigan University from fall 1988 to fall 1990 without earning a degree. That was New Year's Eve 2018 and the start of a case that would embroil four western governments and pile pressure on relations with Russia that had already sunk to a post-Cold War low. The latest: WNBA star Brittney Griner landed in the United States around 5:30 a.m. Paul Whelan as a US marine and the front gate at his parents' property And yet, unknown to those closest to him, Paul had been court-martialled for trying to steal "He has friends in other countries with a military background, I think it was a social thing," David Whelan argues. On 15 June, it took the chief judge just 1 minute 20 seconds to reach the key words in his verdict. David Whelan comments on his brother's arrest by Russian authorities. @dsgordon @nowthisnews Whelan's military record is rife with criminal activity which resulted in a Bad Conduct Discharge. The former US Marine - who also has British, Irish and Canadian citizenship - has always insisted on his innocence, and in court this week he described himself the victim of "greasy, slimy Russian politics". In Room 3324 of Moscow's Metropol hotel, Paul Whelan was getting dressed for a friend's wedding when Russian intelligence officers burst in. Paul Whelan's early life and the possibility of congressional intervention, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Russian media say Whelan has been formally indicted for spying and could face up to 20 years in prison. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt told Sky News on Friday that the British government is trying to help Paul Whelan. She was deported back to Russia in October 2019. From Novi, Michigan, he was born in Canada to British parents and moved to the US as a child. At the time, he was identified only as an American. Ireland says the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will provide all possible and appropriate assistance in relation to this case.. I was arrested for a crime that never occurred, he said in a phone interview with CNN from the remote Russian penal colony where he is being detained. Indian officials wife distraught as his killer is freed. [45], Whelan's brother David Whelan approved of the decision to "make the deal that was possible, rather than waiting for one that wasn't going to happen. Paul Whelan is being held in the renovated wing, where the Norwegian says there is hot water in the cells now as well as a fridge, TV and toilet. "No way? "[25][39], Whelan was initially held at the Correctional Colony No. WebHe was sentenced to 60 days restriction, reduction to pay grade E-4, and, a bad-conduct discharge. "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. "This is how FSB careers are made; people rise on the back of such cases, like mushrooms after the rain.". He described his fellow inmates as quite welcoming.. As described in a 2008 appeal that was denied, Whelan received this sentence for, among other things, attempted larceny, false statements, and dereliction of duty: A military judge sitting as a special court martial convicted the appellant [Paul N. Whelan], consistent with his pleas, of attempted larceny, three specifications of dereliction of duty, making a false official statement, wrongfully using another's social security number, and ten specifications of making and uttering checks without having sufficient funds in his account for payment He was sentenced to 60 days restriction, reduction to pay grade E-4, and a bad-conduct discharge. Paul Whelan arrives handcuffed and holds a personal statement up in court, Paul Whelan was a US police officer when he was younger, Paul Whelan as a US marine and the front gate at his parents' property, The town of Sergiev Posad is home to the spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church - the Trinity Lavra of St Sergius, Paul Whelan's lawyers Vladimir Zherebyonkov and Olga Karlova, Norwegian citizen Frode Berg in a Moscow courtroom, January 2019, US Ambassador John Sullivan outside court after Paul Whelan's sentencing, The high wall and barbed wire of Lefortovo jail, The K-shaped buildings of Moscow's Lefortovo prison, Undated photo of Konstantin Yaroshenko (left) and Viktor Bout in 2010. In Whelan's case, there's the added nuance that his defence team were appointed and paid for by the Russian state. "The intelligence community would never use someone with that past, especially in a situation like this when you'd be sent into a very, very difficult environment," argues Ryan Fayhee, the family's lawyer in the US who cites intelligence contacts from his days prosecuting cases of counter-espionage. "My grandfather came from Ireland to England and my father came from England to Canada, and that's where we were born. ((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).) "Factbox: Paul Whelan, Ex-U.S. Marine Jailed in Russia on Spying Charges." Disclaimer The article shares only particular details about Paul Whelan and his conduct. The FSB was already dripping details of the case it would make in court. The Marine Corps released Whelans service record, showing that he was convicted in a This is a punitive related discharge and there is a distinction between the two, however, he did receive a less than Honorable one. [7], He was an IT manager for the Kelly Services staffing company from 2001[8] to 2003, and then 2008 to 2010. New details have emerged about the military historyNovi businessman Paul Whelan, who has been accused of spying in Russia. Paul Whelan's travels in Russia began more than a decade ago. 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. His rank was downgraded to corporal as he was found guilty of cheque bounce and attempted theft of around $10,000 during his office. His job at BorgWarner involves overseeing security for facilities, assets and people in Auburn Hills and around the world, Graham said. [27], Former CIA officers have stated that the CIA would not recruit an officer with Whelan's military record, nor leave an officer exposed without a diplomatic passport. One replied to tell me he'd been a student and supermarket night-guard when the American first made contact. He received a Bad Conduct Discharge as the result of a UCMJ Courts Martial. The 48-year-old former Marine and global security director for a U.S. company was arrested a week ago in Moscow. Officials have said the dialogue about Whelans release remains open. This article will convey all the necessary information on Paul Whelan. AP NEWS, 8 Dec. 2022, https://apnews.com/article/brittney-griner-michigan-united-states-government-russia-bbf0c7e3029fea40d604b11fd271533f. 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. The pages also reveal his first friends in the Russian military. He's the kindest soul! But the same is presumably true in reverse. The appropriate social media access links are given below. It seems unusual behaviour if he was trying to recruit the man for US intelligence. In June 2020, Whelan was sentenced to 16 years of hard labor in a Russian prison for espionage, in a trial that he has argued was politically motivated and heightened tensions between the United States and Russia. He urged the U.S. Congress and the State Department to help get his brother freed. [21], According to the Russian news agency Rosbalt[ru], Whelan was apprehended in his hotel room at the Metropol Hotel while concluding a long outing with a Russian citizen, who handed him a USB drive containing "a list of all the employees at a classified security agency". Read about our approach to external linking. At the time of his arrest, he was corporate security director at BorgWarner, a Michigan-based automotive parts supplier. "His experience of having already been to the Kremlin and having already walked around Red Square and navigating the metro, his friend felt Paul could assist a bunch of Americans who hadn't otherwise ever been to Moscow," David Whelan said. 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. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman Jr. met with Whelan on January 2, 2019, while Whelan was in Russian custody. Also, the readers can find theUnited Statesgovernments reaction to Paul Whelans arrest. At Kelly Services, his title was senior manager of global security and investigations. But in 2008 Mr Whelan, who had achieved the rank of staff sergeant, was discharged from the marines for bad conduct. Its very grim. [7] The Chelsea Police, however, said he worked in lesser roles and as a part-time officer from 1990 to 1996, while the Washtenaw County sheriff reported no record of his employment. On June 15, 2020, he received a 16-year prison sentence. [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. Court records provided by the Marine Corps headquarters show that he had been accused of attempting to steal more than $10,000 while serving as an administrative clerk in Iraq in 2006. What are your opinions for this swap? Q1. Whelan, 48, was arrested Fridayin Moscow, and was charged withespionage. The release of Brittney Griner, the American basketball star imprisoned in Russia who was exchanged Thursday for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, shed light on the case of another American prisoner, Paul Whelan. The convening authority approved the sentence as adjudged.2 We have "I remember making small talk once and I said, 'You travel a lot for work, where do you travel for fun? Get the latest in military news, entertainment and gear in your inbox daily. His mornings begin at 6 a.m. and his routine is monotonous, but writing letters and reading books in English helped him get through it, he said. WebEither a spook or doing some industrial espionage. Some do have clear military connections - including photographs in uniform - though not all, and no-one who replied to my messages had seen any reason to doubt Whelan's motives. '," a former colleague, Skotti Fietsam, told the BBC. Published Jan 5, 2019 3:56 PM EST. "Having grown up during the Cold War, it was a dream of mine to visit Russia and meet some of the sneaky Russians who had kept the western world at bay for so long!!" Video, 00:01:32, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. He left the company in 2016 and started working for BorgWarner, an Auburn Hills-based auto supplier, in 2017, according to company spokeswoman Kathy Graham. He served 14 years in the passport. He apparently had four passports, which he is said to have collected for fun. Britains foreign secretary says that Russia is trying to use him as a pawn in its geopolitical games. Britains foreign secretary says Russia is trying to use a man detained as an alleged spy as a pawn in its geopolitical games. "Had this been an independent court, they would have reached only one decision - not guilty," his lawyer, Vladimir Zherebyonkov said after the verdict. He left the company in 2016 and started working for BorgWarner, an Auburn Hills-based auto supplier, in 2017, according to company spokeswoman Kathy Graham. He said the evidence was only ever examined by "incompetent and interested parties". [37][38] His lawyers said they believed Russia would now seek a prisoner swap. [4] He said his brother had not been in contact with his family. It's clear that the US government has no concessions that the Russian government will take for Paul Whelan. The US Embassy and government have been very vocal about Whelan's detention. Reuters. Biden called those espionage allegations totally illegitimate charges., Biden said his administration has not forgotten about Paul Whelan, and promised to keep negotiating in good faith for his release., Meanwhile, Whelan said Thursday that he is greatly disappointed that the government has not done more to secure his release, especially as the four-year anniversary of my arrest is coming up. VideoThe secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, LGBT troops take love for Eurovision to front line. 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. Because Whelan received a bad conduct discharge, the claim that Paul Whelan received a punitive discharge from the Marines is "True.". "I'm not allowed to give you details, but I can tell you I was set-up. ", US 'outraged' as Russia jails American for spying. On Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman called on Washington to show "humanity" and release Yaroshenko "and other unjustly convicted" Russians. Cat-and-mouse chase with China in hotly contested sea, Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. But he knows it took months of complex, confidential diplomacy to arrange a suitable swap for Frode Berg that eventually involved Russian agents in prison in Lithuania. An entire section of his old website is dedicated to the cute cartoon character Cheburashka, describing the big-eared, wide-eyed creature as "one good thing to come from the Soviet era". Whelan served 14 years in the US Marine Corps Reserve until he was discharged for bad conduct in 2008. "[4][f], Whelan was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and raised partly in the Ann Arbor area of Michigan where he and his twin brother David graduated from Huron High School in 1988. After news of Griners release Thursday, U.S. officials lamented not being able to secure Whelans release, but said they were continuing the efforts. It was a choice of bringing home one American, Brittney Griner, or bringing home none, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity on a call with reporters. MOSCOW (AP) The Latest on the American man being held in Moscow on alleged spying charges (all times local): The Marine Corps is providing details on the court-martial of an American man who has been detained by Russia on spying charges. Whelan said in court that the case was a sham to use him to influence the United States: "We have proven my innocence we have proven fabrication. Prisoner trade deal: Her release was part of a prisoner swap for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? Whelans last place of duty was Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in California. True. [4][c] U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: "We've made clear to the Russians our expectation that we will learn more about the charges, come to understand what it is he's been accused of and if the detention is not appropriate, we will demand his immediate return. Whelan's own defence lawyer once hinted at that possibility. A citizen of four countries the United States, Canada, Britain and Ireland, Whelan was a former sheriffs deputy and served several tours in Iraq as an active-duty reservist. He worked in the 2000s as an IT project manager for Kelly Services Company. __ 11:25 p.m. Officials say the American ex-Marine He again joined the marines in 2004 and then in 2006. Both Ireland and the U.K. have asked that their diplomats be allowed to visit him. Concern for Whelan flared up again in November after he was not able to contact his family for more than a week and Russian authorities claimed he had been sent to a hospital. [4] In addition to his twin brother, Paul Whelan has a brother, Andrew, and a sister, Elizabeth. 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. I did not commit a crime," Whelan said, telling me that a friend had turned-up at his hotel that evening unannounced.