Paul Whelan
Paul Whelan | |
|---|---|
Whelan in 2024 | |
| Born | Paul Nicholas Whelan March 5, 1970 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Citizenship |
|
| Detainment | |
| Country | Russia |
| Detained | December 28, 2018 |
| Conviction | Espionage |
| Sentence | 16 years in prison |
| Time held | 6 years, 5 months and 21 days |
| Released | August 1, 2024 |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1994–2008 |
| Rank | Corporal |
| Battles / wars | Iraq War |
Paul Nicholas Whelan (born March 5, 1970) is a Canadian-born former United States Marine with U.S., British, Irish, and Canadian citizenship. Whelan left the Marines in 2008 with a bad conduct discharge after being convicted on multiple counts "related to larceny".
He was arrested in Russia on December 28, 2018, and accused of spying. On June 15, 2020, he received a 16-year prison sentence. He was released in a United States–Russia prisoner swap in Ankara, Turkey, on August 1, 2024.