He was convicted at a special court-martial in January 2008 on several charges related to larceny and was given a bad-conduct discharge in December 2008 at the rank of private. Reuters, 8 Dec. 2022. www.reuters.com, https://www.reuters.com/world/paul-whelan-ex-us-marine-jailed-russia-spying-charges-2022-12-08/. Here's what this means for the future of other American hostages. Whelan's own defence lawyer once hinted at that possibility. 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 said that information was the object of "intense interest" to the Americans, and that Whelan had been cultivating potential contacts, online, for over a decade. Paul Whelan, the global security director for a U.S. company, was arrested a week ago in Moscow. David Whelan issued a family statement on Friday on behalf of his brother, Paul Whelan, saying that the family was very pleased to know that staff of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow have been given consular access to Paul and confirmed that he is safe., He says the familys focus remains on ensuring that Paul is safe, well treated, has a good lawyer, and is coming home.. In 2008, Paul was discharged from the Marines for his Bad Conduct. [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. By then, we'd learned that the American had visited Russia multiple times. [1], U.S. 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. Since his first visit in 2006, Mr Whelan made a number of other trips to Russia and developed an in-depth knowledge of the country. Whelan was discharged for bad conduct in 2008 after being convicted of several charges related to larceny, according to the records," the newspaper wrote. Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? Mr Whelan was "responsible for overseeing security" at facilities in Michigan and around the world, a company statement said. Military records show he joined the US Marine Reserves in 1994, about six years after he had reportedly begun work as a police officer in Michigan. Join our brand new verified AMN Telegram channel and get important news uncensored! "The porridge, some days it goes direct to the toilet," Frode Berg wrote to me from northern Norway of life in the FSB prison. 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. But Whelan never made it to the ceremony. 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. "As my cousins in England would say, this is complete bollocks.". The word "uttering" is a legal term that refers to the crime of "unlawfully passing a forged document with intent to defraud". He snapped a picture of his guests, "Dmitry" smiling with a glass of wine and his fork raised over a juicy steak. Born in Canada to British parents of Irish heritage, he later moved to the US entitling him to multiple passports as a result. [32], On January 3, 2019, Whelan's attorney, Vladimir Zherebenko,[d] said he was seeking his release on bail. [8], He enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in 1994. 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. "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. Since his arrest, the media has pored over Whelan's past, discovering a bad conduct discharge from the Marines, a Russian social media page, and multiple trips to Coint, Prediction. Paul Whelan's lawyers have now confirmed that he was being watched for some time and his communications monitored. 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. 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. 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. He described his fellow inmates as quite welcoming.. That was a day after U.S. While not as severe as a dishonorable discharge, a bad conduct discharge is a significant punishment in the U.S. military justice system. She was imprisoned in the US in December 2018 and deported back to Russia in October 2019. Ivan Pavlov believes Whelan's claim he was framed is "always possible" with FSB intelligence officers. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? But the space measures 9.5 square metres between two prisoners and exercise is one hour a day on the roof. Published Jan 5, 2019 3:56 PM EST. New details have emerged about the military historyNovi businessman Paul Whelan, who has been accused of spying in Russia. 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". WebEither a spook or doing some industrial espionage. 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. At the time, one ambassador told me the move had hit Moscow's spying capacity hard. governments reaction to Paul Whelans arrest. There was a lot of speculation about this and there was hope [that] Paul and his family had hoped he would finally return home to his very elderly parents, his lawyer Olga Karlova told The Post. This undated photo provided by the Whelan family shows Paul Whelan in Iceland. Paul Whelan, 52, is a Marine turned corporate security executive who was convicted of espionage and is serving a 16-year sentence in a Russian prison. So when Whelan's plight became public, there was speculation that he could be the human collateral. The minute the American was convicted, the focus shifted to a possible prisoner swap. In Whelan's case, there's the added nuance that his defence team were appointed and paid for by the Russian state. And adding to his discomfort was chronic pain from a hernia that eventually strangulated, resulting in emergency surgery. The news that Paul Whelan holds citizenship in four countries brings international pressure on Russia from several fronts. "It will be very difficult to mount a defence.". mannymoelarry 2 mo. [44] After negotiations, only Griner was exchanged for Bout on December 8, 2022, as the Kremlin had refused to release Whelan and posed an ultimatum to the Biden administration of freeing Griner or no one. Is he an ex-marine officer? 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. "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. 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.. So no evidence - the wire taps or surveillance footage the case is reportedly based on - has been made public. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. WebPaul Whelan may refer to: . 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. When the judge returned to court, to extend his stay in prison once again, Whelan's frustration erupted. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. 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. Paul Whelan Dishonorable Discharge: What Charges Made To Marine Against Bad Conduct? Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt told Sky News on Friday that the British government is trying to help Paul Whelan. Paul Whelan was detained by the Federal Security Service of Russia on 28th December 2018 at the Metropol Hotel room in Moscow. The details of the charges against Whelan from a special court-martial two years later, which resulted in his discharge for bad conduct, add to an increasingly Whelan received a "bad conduct discharge" from the Marines in 2008. Britains foreign secretary says Russia is trying to use a man detained as an alleged spy as a pawn in its geopolitical games. He was formally charged on January 3, 2019. Both Ireland and the U.K. have asked that their diplomats be allowed to visit him. Cleve R. Wootson Jr. contributed to this report. He left the company in 2016, moving to become director of global security for US-based automotive components supplier BorgWarner. Officials have said the dialogue about Whelans release remains open. "He seemed nice and was fascinated by our country, its history and our traditions and people!" Odds are he did something wrong. This material may not be reproduced without permission. 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. 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. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. PAUL N. WHELAN. This is slimy, greasy corrupt Russian politics, nothing more, nothing less. [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. Paul Whelans family members criticize the US government on the Prisoners swap for choosing Brittney Grinner over Whelan. If Whelan is found guilty of espionage, he could face 10 to 20 years in prison. "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. Since his arrest, the Marine Corps has disclosed that he was discharged in 2008 for bad conduct, a revelation that "absolutely stunned" his twin brother David. According to various reports, Paul Whelan served the Kelly services company after his dishonorable discharge and got a promotion in 2010. Florida resident Vladimir Nevidomy pleaded guilty in June 2018 to conspiracy with Makarenko and was sentenced to 26 months in prison. He worked as an administrative clerk and chief before being discharged in 2008 for bad conduct. His rank was downgraded to corporal as he was found guilty of cheque bounce and attempted He's someone I've known for ten years," he revealed for the first time. [43] The Russian side insisted on the additional release of Vadim Krasikov, an assassin serving a life sentence for murder in Germany. Here's what we know about Mr Whelan and his case. [30] He told Whelan's family that Paul was "in good health and good spirits", but that the family needed to supply all his incidental needs aside from basic foodstuffs. [4], Whelan lived in Novi, Michigan, prior to detainment in Russia.[49]. A special court martial also found him guilty of failing to report his vacation 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. Whelan's last place of duty was Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in California. In an interview with ABC News in November 2020, Whelan described the place as very, very old. I did not commit a crime," Whelan said, telling me that a friend had turned-up at his hotel that evening unannounced. The Marine Corps released Whelans service record, showing that he was convicted in a 2008 court-martial on charges related to larceny. Paul Whelan (politician) (19432019), New South Wales state politician Paul F. Whelan, Irish academic; Paul Whelan (security director), US citizen Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com. 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. [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. 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. 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. He mostly represents Russians accused of selling secrets to the West and says the number of such cases has grown significantly since the political climate turned cold again in 2014. Image Via KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images. Whelan, a 48-year-old former Marine and security director for a U.S. company, was arrested a week ago in Moscow, accused of spying. He said the evidence was only ever examined by "incompetent and interested parties". "This is 'Lubyanka' where the KGB has our spies locked in the basement!! "Whelan, do you understand the sentence?" 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 appropriate social media access links are given below. Quite dilapidated. The former Marine said he was living in quite crowded spaces and estimated that his building housed 50 to 60 people. On his latest trip, in December 2018, he was in Moscow for the wedding of a fellow ex-Marine to a Russian woman. All the signs so far suggest Moscow is opening with a high bid - Viktor Bout, a weapons dealer serving 25 years in America and Konstantin Yaroshenko, sentenced to 20 years for drugs smuggling. Whelan also worked as a Chelsea police officer from 1988-2000 as well as for the Washtenaw County Sheriffs Department, he testified in a 2013 court deposition. 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. Eleven years later, its officers would drive him there for interrogation. Filming was barred at all future hearings to stop the press capturing any more protests. He's the kindest soul! 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. [42] On July 27, 2022, it was announced that President Joe Biden had offered a trade for Whelan and WNBA player Brittney Griner, who was arrested in Russia in February on drug charges, in exchange for convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout, nicknamed "The Merchant of Death". "[They'd say] things like, 'There's no hope for you, tell us the truth. Whalen was reduced in rank from staff sergeant to corporal and given a bad conduct discharge from the service. 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. That first day, though - in a cage, with a dozen cameras trained on him - he looked tense and spoke little. There was also speculation over other possible motives for the arrest - including a suggestion Mr Whelan was detained so he could be exchanged with Maria Butina, a Russian gun rights activist, who was jailed in the US in December 2018. WebOn June 15, 2020, Whelan was convicted and sentenced to 16 years in a Russian prison for espionage by a court in Moscow. He was convicted at a special court-martial in January 2008 on several charges related to larceny and was given a bad-conduct discharge in December 2008 at the rank of private. Paul Whelan was a former marine who was given a bad conduct discharge many years prior to his arrest in Russia in 2018. Moscow's Covid-19 lockdown had cloaked proceedings in an even thicker layer of secrecy, with both press and public barred from the building right up until the final verdict. On Whelan's old website, alongside Harry Potter books and War and Peace, his recommended reading includes a long list of Cold War thrillers by Tom Clancy. Evidence shows that he was caught with a flash drive that contained highly classified information. The Pentagon, which released his records, said the charges related to larceny. The below table shows the required personal life details of Paul Whelan. "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!!" State TV crews, hovering for their shots in the hallway, were already referring to the accused man as "the American spy". (Video: Rich Matthews/The Washington Post), Essential reporting from around the world. Was Paul Whelan given a bad-conduct discharge from the Marines? 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. As he still works for the FSB, I can't identify him so I'll call him "Dmitry". From 2010 to 2016 Whelan was Kelly Services' senior manager of global security and operations. "I can't imagine he [Paul] retains any hope that a government will negotiate his freedom at this point. 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. Check Wiki to Know About Solana Valley NFT (Sep 2021) Token price & How To Buy! 1995 - 2023 by Snopes Media Group Inc. On 15 June, it took the chief judge just 1 minute 20 seconds to reach the key words in his verdict. His rank was downgraded to corporal as he was found guilty of cheque bounce and attempted theft of around $10,000 during his office. The lawyer warns that the FSB is the "mightiest secret service, not only in Russia," and uses its own experts to examine any evidence for the court. In 2008, Paul was discharged from the Marines for his. 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. [13], Whelan traveled to Russia several times from 2006 and maintained an intermittent presence on a Russian language social media website, Vkontakte (VK), where he had approximately 70 contacts. Paul Whelan was detained by the Federal Security Service of Russia on 28th December 2018 at the Metropol Hotel room in Moscow. In Frode Berg's case, the Norwegian government stayed quiet. [25], Whelan was being held in Moscow's Lefortovo Prison. Marine Corps). This is a punitive related discharge and there is a distinction between the two, however, he did receive a less than Honorable one. U.S. officials say they are still working to secure the release of the former Marine, who was arrested in Moscow in 2018, but claim he was not part of the negotiations for Thursdays prisoner swap because his case is being treated differently by the Russians. ((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).) James B. Hoke/U.S. The Russian described the two spending several days "touring Moscow" together, eating sushi and caviar-filled pancakes. At that, the judge ordered the TV cameras to be removed from court. Russia has not publicly presented any evidence to support the charges against Whelan. Russian lawyers for Whelan also lamented that their client was not included in the swap. "[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. "He has friends in other countries with a military background, I think it was a social thing," David Whelan argues. He has studied Russian but communicated online using Google Translate. "Factbox: Paul Whelan, Ex-U.S. Marine Jailed in Russia on Spying Charges." Whelan joked back then on his website, which has since been archived. The US government has been tight-lipped regarding efforts to release Mr Whelan. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. It was while serving in the marines that he made his first trip to Russia, a visit he detailed on his website, which was shut down several years ago. This article will convey all the necessary information on Paul Whelan. To be correct, the Marines did not give Paul Whelan a Dishonorable Discharge. "Really, an exchange should be equal," he said. He said his brother planned to return to Michigan on January 6, 2019, via Saint Petersburg. WebHe was sentenced to 60 days restriction, reduction to pay grade E-4, and, a bad-conduct discharge. 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. "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. He took a military leave of absence from Kelly Services, he testified, to serve in Iraq. This is the second time Whelan has been overlooked in a prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington. 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. His own cellmate in Lefortovo used to joke that the inmates were fed dog food in the mornings. Whelan said the drive had been given to him by a friend, as part of a sting operation, and he was under the impression it contained wedding photographs. The 48-year-old former Marine and global security director for a U.S. company was arrested a week ago in Moscow. It seems unusual behaviour if he was trying to recruit the man for US intelligence. In terms of severity of punishment, this form of discharge is second to and distinct from a dishonorable discharge. But in 2008 Mr Whelan, who had achieved the rank of staff sergeant, was discharged from the marines for bad conduct. Moscow Paul Whelan, Before that he spent 14 years in the U.S. Marine Corps before being discharged in 2008 for bad conduct, according to the military. But in 2008 Mr Whelan, who had achieved the rank of staff sergeant, was discharged from the marines for bad conduct. "If we exchange one person, we should exchange him for one person, not for two". "I remember making small talk once and I said, 'You travel a lot for work, where do you travel for fun? 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. Britains foreign secretary says that Russia is trying to use him as a pawn in its geopolitical games. Paul Whelan received a punitive discharge from the Marines. 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". At the time of his arrest, he was corporate security director at BorgWarner, a Michigan-based automotive parts supplier. Why was Paul Whelan discharged from military service? [14][b] As of March 2019, he shared a cell with another prisoner who spoke no English. Odds are he did something wrong. ", he joked in 2007 on a personal website. 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. "We never see or meet other prisoners. 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. Whelan, 48, was arrested Friday in Moscow, and was charged with espionage. He later worked as a global security executive for the auto They have also said the CIA would not recruit someone with Mr. Whelans bad conduct discharge. Whelan was arrested in Moscow last week. Claim: Paul Whelan received a punitive discharge from the Marines. A Moscow hairdresser, meanwhile, was contacted by Whelan on Instagram around five years back. Cellmates get to shower once a week, together, in the basement. Curious To Check Full Wiki! "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. So without much ado, read thePaul Whelan Dishonorable Dischargeblog to know the complete story. 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. President Biden said Thursday that those efforts have failed so far because Russia has decided to treat Whelans case differently given the nature of the espionage charges levied against him. He is currently facing. True. How Crypto is Removed From Circulation. "Trust is the most important thing when you are out there, living on the edge.". 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
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