He has no apparent link to the military himself and joked to me via VK that the American "didn't request to see anything suspicious :))". American detained by Russia tried to steal thousands of dollars Was Paul Whelan Punitively Discharged from the Marines? 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. Its clear that the U.S. government has no concessions that the Russian government will take for Paul Whelan. This is a punitive related discharge and there is a distinction between the two, however, he did receive a less than Honorable one. He said in a deposition in 2013 that he holds a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and an MBA degree. Just as there are groupies for rock bands, sports teams, and politicians, Whelan was a FSB groupie. The convening authority approved the sentence as adjudged.2 We have The three judges swept off the podium and out of court. 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. Irelands Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Friday that its embassy in Moscow is requesting consular access to Whelan. Spy trials in Russia are not only heard in secret, the defence lawyers have to sign non-disclosure agreements covering the entire case. "I'm not allowed to give you details, but I can tell you I was set-up. "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. 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. [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 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". We dont know exactly why [he hasnt been added], maybe because he is too valuable for the swap, and theyve decided to hold him for longer, she added. Whelan worked as an administrative clerk and administrative chief and was deployed in The photograph dates from Whelan's first trip to Moscow, made while he was serving with the US military in Iraq. | 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. The word "uttering" is a legal term that refers to the crime of "unlawfully passing a forged document with intent to defraud". "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. 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. 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. Disclaimer The article shares only particular details about Paul Whelan and his conduct. A retired border guard, Frode Berg admitted to delivering envelopes of cash and spy instructions on behalf of Norwegian military intelligence agency. What Is the Regulation of Cryptocurrency in Estonia. Nine months earlier, the UK had accused Russia of poisoning Sergei Skripal, a former double-agent, on the streets of Salisbury. 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. 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. The Russian investigators state that Paul Whelan is a spy working for military intelligence and holding the rank of Colonel or any higher post. 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. 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. "[12], When arrested in Russia, Whelan was director of global security and investigations for BorgWarner, an international automotive parts manufacturer based in Michigan. [20] David said his brother entered Russia using his U.S. While David Whelan said the family does not "begrudge Ms Griner her freedom", the family believes it is "clear that the US government needs to be more assertive". At the same time, Washington was still accusing Moscow of meddling in its elections. 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. "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. The image was of the headquarters of Russia's notorious security services, now known as the FSB. 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. He thought it was cool to hang-out with FSB people and low level military personnel (probably anyone above a private rank would give him no attention). "I remember making small talk once and I said, 'You travel a lot for work, where do you travel for fun? Paul Whelan, Ex-U.S. Marine Jailed in Russia on Spying Charges Paul Whelan Dishonorable Discharge: What Charges Made To Paul Whelan was discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps in 2008 following a special court-martial. Paul Whelan still wondering why he was left behind in Russia, [22], The BBC cited family members of Whelan, who said he previously bragged about knowing an agent of the FSB, and was privy to an unusual cache of personal details about his friend, including which intelligence training school he attended (biographical information typically reserved for a very close circle). It's possible he even introduced his parents to "Dmitry" on their 2009 trip to Russia, they can't be sure. [19], Per MBK News, an outlet run by Putin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Whelan had $80,000 in cash "temporarily confiscated" during a customs inspection at Domodedovo Airport. Whelan has been detained in Russia for nearly four years and in August 2020, he was sent to prison camp IK-17 in the Mordovia region of Russia, some 210 miles east of Moscow. Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russias war in Ukraine. 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. Ryan Pickrell, Business Insider The man Whelan accuses of framing him was one of his oldest friends in Russia. To know the authentic details on Paul Whelan Dishonorable Discharge news, read through this blog until very close. ET Friday in San Antonio. Read about our approach to external linking. The independent Latvian-based publication Meduza reported that the wedding attendees all banded close together for the duration of the holiday, and were taken aback by Whelan's decision to spend the day alone. "There's absolutely no reason he should have been in my room and no reason he should have given me any sort of device.". Paul Whelan's early life and the possibility of congressional intervention, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. If so, it appears that Paul Whelan was blind to the threat. governments reaction to Paul Whelans arrest. he asked. 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. Here's what we know about Mr Whelan and his case. COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS WASHINGTON, D.C. - Navy The below table shows the required personal life details of Paul Whelan. All rights reserved. It is an extraordinarily long time. 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. 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'. 6 Top-Notch Dental Courses Online for Beginners in 2023, What is a Token Burn? "The porridge, some days it goes direct to the toilet," Frode Berg wrote to me from northern Norway of life in the FSB prison. Russia freed Brittney Griner in a high-profile prisoner exchange with the U.S. @dsgordon @nowthisnews Whelan's military record is rife with criminal activity which resulted in a Bad Conduct Discharge. [25], Whelan was being held in Moscow's Lefortovo Prison. Whelan was friends with young servicemen in the US, though, too. Russian authorities have released no information about the charges against Whelan, who could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of spying. He'd prepare a speech for each session, writing it out on a sheet of paper vetted and stamped by the prison censors. Trump deploys 80 US troops to Gabon in case 'violent demonstrations' occur after contentious presidential election, The U.S. military is warning that China's fishing boats are bullies and could start a war on the high seas, Here are 7 of the best weapons to have when you're up close and personal with the enemy, Navy SEAL accused of a brutal killing allegedly threatened to blackmail his teammates: 'I have s on all of you', Trump claimed ISIS was defeated just as the U.S. military was ramping up its strikes on ISIS militants in Syria. Why was Griner detained? And he didn't hide his interests and encounters. Almost exactly a year before Paul Whelan's arrest, a Norwegian staying at the same central Moscow hotel was arrested and charged with espionage. Whelan's own defence lawyer once hinted at that possibility. Please comment. Whelan received what is categorized broadly as a punitive discharge. 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. Paul Whelan 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. David Whelan comments on his brother's arrest by Russian authorities. "[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. Her release was secured via a prisoner exchange in which U.S. authorities released convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. 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. Check Wiki to Know About Solana Valley NFT (Sep 2021) Token price & How To Buy! Coint, Prediction. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. In an interview with ABC News in November 2020, Whelan described the place as very, very old. Russian authorities claim the 48-year-old American, who is being held in Lefortovo Prison, was working as a spy. Mr Whelan, 52, was given a 16-year jail sentence in 2020 after being arrested in Moscow on suspicion of spying in 2018. WebPaul Whelan may refer to: . Whelan's family are already pushing for action after a sentence that his brother, David, called "a gut punch'. In 2008, Paul was discharged from the Marines for his Bad Conduct. Paul Whelan (Video: Rich Matthews/The Washington Post), Essential reporting from around the world. He worked in the 2000s as an IT project manager for Kelly Services Company. He worked as an administrative clerk and chief before being discharged in 2008 for bad conduct. 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. Russia has not publicly presented any evidence to support the charges against Whelan. Whelan was arrested in Moscow last week. A Moscow hairdresser, meanwhile, was contacted by Whelan on Instagram around five years back. He served 14 years in the [23], According to Whelan, his long-time friend had appeared unexpectedly in the hotel, followed by authorities, who later arrested him. 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. "Family of American Prisoner Paul Whelan Backs Griner Deal." he wrote. But when I asked for his side of the story, his eyes flicked towards the guards. Though he has been described as being held in "solitary confinement", "But even with food, we were told that we might want to give him extra money. 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. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. PAUL N. WHELAN. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman Jr. met with Whelan on January 2, 2019, while Whelan was in Russian custody. 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. VideoThe secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, LGBT troops take love for Eurovision to front line. Alex Kasprak is an investigative journalist and science writer reporting on scientific misinformation, online fraud, and financial crime. One friend who didn't want to be named told me he was "a little quirky", and liked to "push the line a bit". The Latest: Marines provide details of Whelan court-martial So he just thought it's an opportunity to have that, so why not? "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!!" In terms of severity of punishment, this form of discharge is second to and distinct from a dishonorable discharge. A year later, just days before his arrest, Mr Whelan took "Dmitry" and another man for Christmas dinner at a restaurant opposite his hotel. His website describes his "respect and admiration" for three Naval Academy graduates who'd just joined the Marines. 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. Mr Whelan was "responsible for overseeing security" at facilities in Michigan and around the world, a company statement said. In 2008, Paul was discharged from the Marines for hisBad Conduct. At the time, there were uncorroborated reports he had been caught receiving a digital storage device containing a list of intelligence officials. [40] As of December 2020[update] he was held in a high-security prison, IK-17, eight hours drive southeast of Moscow. [34] He said: "I presume that he is innocent because, for now, I haven't seen any evidence against him that would prove otherwise. He was arrested in his room, just hours after showing some of the other wedding guests around the grounds of the Kremlin. It was with this scandal breaking behind the scenes, that he first headed for Moscow. His family says he was in Moscow to attend a friends wedding.