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Russian court jails former US marine Paul Whelan for 16 years over espionage charges Russian court finds ex-US marine Paul Whelan guilty of espionage, sentences him to 16 years in prison
(30 minutes later)
The American, who also holds British, Canadian and Irish passports, was found guilty of espionage by a Russian court on Monday. The investigation claimed he was caught red-handed after receiving classified data two years ago. Eighteen months after he was arrested in a Moscow hotel room and accusing of spying, a Moscow court has handed down a 16 year jail term to Paul Whelan, a national of four western countries: - Canada, Ireland, the US and the UK.
Moscow City Court issued the verdict earlier on Monday, sentencing Paul Whelan to 16 years in jail. Part of the hearing took place behind closed doors. The 50-year-old defendant, who has described the trial, partly held behind closed doors, as a "sham," protested his innocence throughout the process. After Monday morning's verdict, he immediately stated that he intends to appeal. There have been suggestions that Whelan could be returned to the US in a prisoner swap.
Whelan is set to serve the term in a high-security prison. His defense will appeal the sentence, and the defendant himself said the trial was “political.” His lawyer has named Viktor Bout and Konstantin Yaroshenko - two Russians jailed in the US - as potential candidates. Bout, who Russia considers a 'political prisoner,' is serving a 25-year term for arms dealing. Meanwhile, Yaroshenko was arrested in Liberia in 2010 in what the Russian Foreign Ministry described as a "kidnapping" and brought to the US. He had never set foot in the country before. 
The indictment reportedly alleged that Whelan, who frequently visited Russia, received a USB drive containing a list of active-duty FSB operatives from one of the secret service’s members back in 2018. Whelan was arrested during the rendezvous, which took place at the five-star Hotel Metropol in Moscow. In December 2018, the former US marine was detained in the Russian capital's five-star Metropol Hotel after he accepted a USB device from an undercover FSB officer. Prosecutors said the flash drive included information related to active-duty members of Russia's secret service. Whelan's defense said he was the victim of a sting. 
The defense team insists the American believed he was receiving a flash drive containing photos of a joint event he set up with a Russian friend, rather than the highly classified information. Whelan’s lawyers have consistently claimed he was the victim of a frame-up. His legal team insisted Whelan believed he was receiving a flash drive containing photos of a joint event he set up with a Russian friend, rather than highly classified information. 
Whelan has been a frequent visitor to Russia since the mid-2000s, and he reportedly appeared on the security service’s radar as a possible intelligence threat several years before his arrest.Whelan has been a frequent visitor to Russia since the mid-2000s, and he reportedly appeared on the security service’s radar as a possible intelligence threat several years before his arrest.
It was reported that prior to his civilian career, he served for 14 years in the Marine Corps, and was deployed in Iraq for several months. He was apparently discharged in 2008 amid allegations of misconduct. His family have rubbished claims he's involved in espionage, describing him as a travel enthusiast and visited Moscow for a wedding. Whelan maintained an account on Russian Facebook-clone VKontakte where in January 2019, according to ABC News, his 55 "friends" were almost exclusively young men, most of whom seemed to have some sort of connection to the armed forces posted on their page. Only three were women. 
Following the illegal American and British-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, Whelan served in the US Marine Corps Reserve for five years, holding the rank of staff sergeant. In January 2008, he was court-martialled for "larceny" and later given a "bad conduct" discharge. Until 2016, he was senior manager of global security and operations at Kelly Services, an American office staffing company. Whelan has also worked as a police officer in the US. Born in Canada, he was living in Michigan before his arrest in Russia.
The US Ambassador to Moscow, John Sullivan spoke outside the court building. "The United States demands that US citizen Paul Whelan be released immediately," he said. "His conviction is a mockery of justice. The world is watching."
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