paul whelan bad conduct discharge

Paul Whelan still wondering why he was left behind in Russia, Whelan's family, for their part, have been supportive of Griner's release. Why did he face dishonorable discharge? 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. 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. "He was always absolutely positive about the [Marines] experience. The US government has been tight-lipped regarding efforts to release Mr Whelan. Paul Whelan was not recently included in the Prisoner swap activity with Russia. 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. Whelan, 48, was arrested Friday in Moscow, and was charged with espionage. His service ended after he was convicted at a In Whelan's case, there's the added nuance that his defence team were appointed and paid for by the Russian state. Sharing pictures of the visit, he said he had a "quite enjoyable time" exploring the cities of Moscow and St Petersburg. By then, we'd learned that the American had visited Russia multiple times. Then-Staff Sgt. Whelan was discharged for bad conduct in 2008 after being convicted of several charges related to larceny, according to the records," the newspaper wrote. Speaking in the White House Oval Office as he announced Ms Griner's release, Mr Biden said that "sadly and for totally illegitimate reasons, Russia is treating Paul's case differently than Brittney's". Irelands Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Friday that its embassy in Moscow is requesting consular access to Whelan. 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. Officials have now confirmed that Whelan holds U.S., British and Irish citizenship. New details have emerged about the military history Novi businessman Paul Whelan, who has been accused of spying in Russia. 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. Lawyer Vladimir Zherebyonkov was soon saying the same, now claiming the FSB had been planning a swap all along. 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 received what is categorized broadly as a punitive discharge. [40] As of December 2020[update] he was held in a high-security prison, IK-17, eight hours drive southeast of Moscow. 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. 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. Watching from the wooden courtroom benches, socially distanced and in medical facemasks, were the ambassadors of the US, UK and Canada. Paul Whelan was discharged from the Marines for bad conduct in 2008 after being convicted of larceny. [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. "He seemed nice and was fascinated by our country, its history and our traditions and people!" Odds are he did something wrong. [7], He was an IT manager for the Kelly Services staffing company from 2001[8] to 2003, and then 2008 to 2010. The man Whelan accuses of framing him was one of his oldest friends in Russia. Russia argues that Butina is a political prisoner. Disclaimer The article shares only particular details about Paul Whelan and his conduct. It has been nearly four years since Russian authorities arrested Paul Whelan in Moscow on charges of espionage. 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. [32], On January 3, 2019, Whelan's attorney, Vladimir Zherebenko,[d] said he was seeking his release on bail. Since late 2018, he has been held on espionage charges, which he denies. Such a punishment generally disqualifies a former Marine from receiving Veterans Affairs benefits. The article shares only particular details about Paul Whelan and his 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. Who is Paul Whelan, the ex-US Marine jailed in Russia? A Twitter post by Benny Johnson states that President Biden chose Brittney Grinner in the prisoner swap over Paul Whelan. Why was Griner detained? "It will be very difficult to mount a defence.". Read about our approach to external linking. 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. 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". His job included campus security as well as electronic and IT-related security. 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". "[46], Whelan is a citizen of Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. It seems unusual behaviour if he was trying to recruit the man for US intelligence. A year later, just days before his arrest, Mr Whelan took "Dmitry" and another man for Christmas dinner at a restaurant opposite his hotel. 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. He snapped a picture of his guests, "Dmitry" smiling with a glass of wine and his fork raised over a juicy steak. It does not have any facilities in Russia. 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. He received a Bad Conduct Discharge as the result of a UCMJ Courts Martial. [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. [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. ", he joked in 2007 on a personal website. Paul Whelan's Marine discharge was larceny related - Detroit During his imprisonment, Whelan has been working in a clothing factory, which he called a sweatshop in a 2021 interview with CNN. "[12], When arrested in Russia, Whelan was director of global security and investigations for BorgWarner, an international automotive parts manufacturer based in Michigan. "[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. 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. 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. Spy trials in Russia are not only heard in secret, the defence lawyers have to sign non-disclosure agreements covering the entire case. Hunt says Friday that we are giving him every support that we can, but we dont agree with individuals being used in diplomatic chess games., Hunt adds that we are extremely worried about him and his family.. So the prisoner who has always called himself a political hostage is now looking to the politicians to do a deal for his release. [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". [8], He enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in 1994. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. He took a military leave of absence from Kelly Services, he testified, to serve in Iraq. A decade later, he would message home regularly from trips to Russia displaying similar almost child-like wonder at new discoveries. | Read about our approach to external linking. The detained former Marine had an interest in Russia, though. He took a military leave of absence from Kelly Services, he testified, to serve in Iraq. That first day, though - in a cage, with a dozen cameras trained on him - he looked tense and spoke little. 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. Whelan was arrested in Moscow last week. He now told me his friend had planted the device in his pocket, without him realising. "Nothing's translated, Your Honour," the 50-year-old protested, sending an interpreter scurrying over to explain his fate.

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