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"Secrecy, provocation and falsification, that's the arsenal of our opponents," says Ivan Pavlov, a human rights lawyer who has gone up against the FSB in many espionage cases. He wondered whether some comment, or joke might have been disastrously misconstrued. @dsgordon @nowthisnews Whelan's military record is rife with criminal activity which resulted in a Bad Conduct Discharge. His job at BorgWarner involves overseeing security for facilities, assets and people in Auburn Hills and around the world, Graham said. If he's a spy, then I'm Michael Jackson!!!!" Whelan, his family and the U.S. government have repeatedly stated that the charges are baseless and that he was framed. [41], Family members said Whelan had been told that he had been arrested to be exchanged for a Russian prisoner in the United States, mentioning Konstantin Yaroshenko (who was released in return for American Trevor Reed), Viktor Bout, or Roman Seleznev. Almost exactly a year before Paul Whelan's arrest, a Norwegian staying at the same central Moscow hotel was arrested and charged with espionage. "It will be very difficult to mount a defence.". In 2008, Paul was discharged from the Marines for hisBad Conduct. Paul Whelan's lawyers have now confirmed that he was being watched for some time and his communications monitored. He was flanked by FSB guards, faces covered so they couldn't be identified. He described his fellow inmates as quite welcoming.. ago. "I'm trying to focus on immediate goals, so I don't get distracted by how awful it is that he could spend 16 years behind bars," David Whelan told me, imagining how his twin would have felt, convicted of spying and heading back to his prison cell. A Moscow hairdresser, meanwhile, was contacted by Whelan on Instagram around five years back. Disclaimer The article shares only particular details about Paul Whelan and his conduct. As he still works for the FSB, I can't identify him so I'll call him "Dmitry". [20] David said his brother entered Russia using his U.S. To be correct, the Marines did not give Paul Whelan a Dishonorable Discharge. 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. The Marine Corps released Whelans service record, showing that he was convicted in a 2008 court-martial on charges related to larceny. @dsgordon @nowthisnews Whelan's military record is rife with criminal activity which resulted in a Bad Conduct Discharge. VideoThe secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, LGBT troops take love for Eurovision to front line. Why wasn't Whelan included in the prisoner swap? The Interfax news agency says he has denied the allegation. A year later, just days before his arrest, Mr Whelan took "Dmitry" and another man for Christmas dinner at a restaurant opposite his hotel. 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. The appropriate social media access links are given below. During his imprisonment, Whelan has been working in a clothing factory, which he called a sweatshop in a 2021 interview with CNN. he asked. To know the authentic details on Paul Whelan Dishonorable Discharge news, read through this blog until very close. 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. ", "He said it's beautiful and he liked the cold and he had quite a few friends there.". So, at a court hearing late last year, I raised my voice over a wall of bailiffs to ask him once again what had happened. In a trial the U.S. criticized as unfair, Whelan was convicted of spying and sentenced to 16 years in a Russian penal colony. There's a Marines' flag flying right below the American flag on my parents' property the whole time," David told the BBC from Canada. Paul Whelan's Marine discharge was larceny related - Detroit Whelan was friends with young servicemen in the US, though, too. "He seemed nice and was fascinated by our country, its history and our traditions and people!" "Family of American Prisoner Paul Whelan Backs Griner Deal." Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? She was deported back to Russia in October 2019. "Had this been an independent court, they would have reached only one decision - not guilty," his lawyer, Vladimir Zherebyonkov said after the verdict. And he didn't hide his interests and encounters. The Whelan family eventually found a name and even a photograph. Paul Whelan was a former marine who was given a bad conduct discharge many years prior to his arrest in Russia in 2018. So we were eligible for British and Canadian citizenship because we were born in Canada to British parents. "I can't imagine he [Paul] retains any hope that a government will negotiate his freedom at this point. 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. At the time of his arrest, he was corporate security director at BorgWarner, a Michigan-based automotive parts supplier. Are you on Telegram? When the judge returned to court, to extend his stay in prison once again, Whelan's frustration erupted. Russian authorities claim the 48-year-old American, who is being held in Lefortovo Prison, was working as a spy. '," a former colleague, Skotti Fietsam, told the BBC. Check Wiki to Know About Solana Valley NFT (Sep 2021) Token price & How To Buy! "Trust is the most important thing when you are out there, living on the edge.". 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. What are your opinions for this swap? Since entering Russian custody, Whelan has faced changing conditions. ", List of American people imprisoned in Russia, "U.S. citizen arrested in Russia on spying charges", "As American Sits In Moscow Jail, Russia Says U.S. Has Detained One Of Its Citizens", "Paul Whelan: the strange case of the ex-marine jailed for spying in Russia", "Paul Whelan's twin opens up about Russia spy allegations, citizenship", "U.S. ambassador meets with Ottawa-born man arrested in Russia on spying charges", "American Paul Whelan was in Russia for wedding, not to spy, family says", "American charged with espionage in Russia has an unlikely background for a spy", "Meet Putin's American Prisoner, Paul Whelan", "Accused spy Paul Whelan was discharged from Marines for bad conduct", "New details emerge about Novi resident accused of spying in Russia", "Spy or Not? The surge in East-West tensions has made espionage both more complex - and more urgent - in recent years. It's possible he even introduced his parents to "Dmitry" on their 2009 trip to Russia, they can't be sure. The Bizarre Case Of The Ex-Marine Accused By Russia Of In December 2018, while on a trip to attend a friend's wedding in Russia, Whelan was detained by Federal Security Service (FSB) agents. Prisoner trade deal: Her release was part of a prisoner swap for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. And, to make matters worse, he wrongfully used another person's Social Security number to engage in unlawful activity. Paul Whelan (politician) (19432019), New South Wales state politician Paul F. Whelan, Irish academic; Paul Whelan (security director), US citizen Did he commit any severe crime? __ 11:25 p.m. Officials say the American ex-Marine Dustoff262 Charter Member / Moderator Whelan, a former U.S. Marine arrested in Russia on espionage charges, was visiting Moscow over the holidays to attend a wedding when he suddenly disappeared, his brother said Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019. Ryan Pickrell, Business Insider He was caught for bad conduct during his marine service. Read about our approach to external linking. At the time, one ambassador told me the move had hit Moscow's spying capacity hard. Sadly, for Mr. Whelan, it appears his own adventurism made According to various reports, Paul Whelan served the Kelly services company after his dishonorable discharge and got a promotion in 2010. (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 He got in touch with his parents Dec. 2., in what Whelans brother described as a proof of life call, according to the Associated Press. A retired border guard, Frode Berg admitted to delivering envelopes of cash and spy instructions on behalf of Norwegian military intelligence agency. In addition to larceny, specifically the attempted theft of $10,410.59 of US government money, he also reportedly bounced checks to the tune of $6,000. ", he joked in 2007 on a personal website. Family handout/AFP. "Factbox: Paul Whelan, Ex-U.S. Marine Jailed in Russia on Spying Charges." True. ", the American wrote back. He joined the Marine Reserves May 10, 1994, and was an administrative clerk and administrative chief. Paul Whelans Brother: Family Knew Little About His Interest in He previously identified himself as a former sheriff deputy, which Such a punishment generally disqualifies a former Marine from receiving Veterans Affairs benefits. [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". Eleven years later, its officers would drive him there for interrogation. His service ended after he was convicted at a One VK friend still in the military told me the American first messaged when he was a cadet and the two have chatted online two or three times a week ever since. The man Whelan accuses of framing him was one of his oldest friends in Russia. "[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. [32], On January 3, 2019, Whelan's attorney, Vladimir Zherebenko,[d] said he was seeking his release on bail. COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS WASHINGTON, D.C. - Navy "[21] As of January 4, British and Irish consular officials were seeking access to Whelan. 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. He snapped a picture of his guests, "Dmitry" smiling with a glass of wine and his fork raised over a juicy steak. [8] After a court-martial conviction in January 2008 on multiple counts "related to larceny", he was sentenced to 60 days restriction, reduction to pay grade E-4, and a bad conduct discharge. As his family step-up their appeals to bring him home, officials in Moscow are already hinting at a possible prisoner swap adding to suspicions that the man from Michigan is a pawn in a political game that has yet to play out. They also said he owed Whelan around 80,000 roubles ($1,147; 930) which the FSB claimed was advance payment for intelligence. Paul Whelan (security director) - Wikipedia Whelan has been in Russian custody for nearly four years, convicted on charges of espionage and spying for the U.S. government and sentenced to 16 years in prison. He said a trial would not begin for at least six months, and that he would welcome an exchange of Whelan for Butina. Mr Whelan continued to work for Kelly Services, being promoted to senior manager of global security and investigations in 2010. Whe He Dead? Earlier this year, American Trevor Reed, a former Marine who was detained in 2019, was exchanged for Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot who was convicted of drug smuggling and sentenced to 20 years in a U.S. prison. (Courtesy of the Whelan Family via AP), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. He wasn't allowed a phone call home for 16 months.