"[21] As of January 4, British and Irish consular officials were seeking access to Whelan. He again joined the marines in 2004 and then in 2006. Skotti Fietsam, his former colleague, found Whelan serious and supportive, but also laughed at how he would insist on using heavily armed guards when he visited the factory she managed in Mexico, even posting them outside restaurants while they ate. His rank was downgraded to corporal as he was found guilty of cheque bounce and attempted 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. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt told Sky News on Friday that the British government is trying to help Paul Whelan. "Really, an exchange should be equal," he said. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russias war in Ukraine. 1995 - 2023 by Snopes Media Group Inc. "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. Why is Paul Whelan imprisoned? The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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. [34] He said: "I presume that he is innocent because, for now, I haven't seen any evidence against him that would prove otherwise. The US government has been tight-lipped regarding efforts to release Mr Whelan. For his crimes, he was ultimately discharged from the Marine Corps for bad conduct, a ruling he unsuccessfully attempted to appeal. ((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).) It was a flat, abrupt end to a spy trial that had taken just a handful of closed hearings. Whelan was born on March 5, 1970,[4] in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada,[5] to British parents with Irish heritage. In terms of severity of punishment, this form of discharge is second to and distinct from a dishonorable discharge. Paul Whelan, the global security director for a U.S. company, was arrested a week ago in Moscow. Officials have now confirmed that Whelan holds U.S., British and Irish citizenship. Cellmates get to shower once a week, together, in the basement. 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". Its very grim. 2023 BBC. ", the American wrote back. [23], According to Whelan, his long-time friend had appeared unexpectedly in the hotel, followed by authorities, who later arrested him. 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. 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. Florida resident Vladimir Nevidomy pleaded guilty in June 2018 to conspiracy with Makarenko and was sentenced to 26 months in prison. [28][29] On December 20, 2018, when discussing Butina's arrest, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia "will not arrest innocent people simply to exchange them". [7], He was an IT manager for the Kelly Services staffing company from 2001[8] to 2003, and then 2008 to 2010. Cat-and-mouse chase with China in hotly contested sea, Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. You're a spy, you'll be convicted,'" Olga Karlova told me last summer. Evidence shows that he was caught with a flash drive that contained highly classified information. This is a punitive related discharge and there is a distinction between the two, however, he did receive a less than Honorable one. The Bizarre Case Of The Ex-Marine Accused By Russia Of A retired border guard, Frode Berg admitted to delivering envelopes of cash and spy instructions on behalf of Norwegian military intelligence agency. snopes.com on Twitter: " True. Paul Whelan received a "bad In December 2018, while on a trip to attend a friend's wedding in Russia, Whelan was detained by Federal Security Service (FSB) agents. If so, it appears that Paul Whelan was blind to the threat. Checkout Complete Data! The Latest: Marines provide details of Whelan court-martial Administrative Discharge Status Can Affect Benefits. Disclaimer The article shares only particular details about Paul Whelan and his conduct. Paul Whelan 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. "I can talk louder than you, Your Honour," he shouted from the cage. "Paul Whelan is innocent," Ambassador John Sullivan told me emphatically last week, calling the trial a "mockery of justice". "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. That was a day after U.S. 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. 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'. This is not a situation where we had a choice of which American to bring home. Whelan received a "bad conduct discharge" from the Marines in 2008. His rank was downgraded to corporal as he was found guilty of cheque bounce and attempted theft of around $10,000 during his office. WebAccording to court-martial records, Paul Whelan actually received a bad-conduct discharge from the US Marines in 2008 and his rank was reduced to that of corporal "Whelan, do you understand the sentence?" 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. (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 Paul Whelan still wondering why he was left behind in Russia, The 48-year-old former Marine and global security director for a U.S. company was arrested a week ago in Moscow. Because Whelan received a bad conduct discharge, the claim that Paul Whelan received a punitive discharge from the Marines is "True.". This article will convey all the necessary information on Paul Whelan. But Whelan never made it to the ceremony. They have also said the CIA would not recruit someone with Mr. Whelans bad conduct discharge. "[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. Paul Whelan was discharged from the Marines for bad conduct in 2008 after being convicted of larceny. He said his brother planned to return to Michigan on January 6, 2019, via Saint Petersburg. He is currently facingChargesof16 years imprisonmentunder the IK-17 penal colony of the Mordovia region, located in east Moscow. In 2016 he left the company and became the director for global security in a US-based company. Paul Whelan: What we know about the American detained in Britains foreign secretary says that Russia is trying to use him as a pawn in its geopolitical games. 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. More: Paul Whelan's early life and the possibility of congressional intervention. Whelan, 48, was arrested Fridayin Moscow, and was charged withespionage. 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 was formally charged on January 3, 2019. [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. @dsgordon @nowthisnews Whelan's military record is rife with criminal activity which resulted in a Bad Conduct Discharge. 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. [14] They further claim that Whelan's arrest is connected to tensions between Russia and the United States, including the detention of confessed unregistered foreign agent Maria Butina. Yes. (Video: Rich Matthews/The Washington Post), Essential reporting from around the world.
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