With his tidy blue sweater and mild-mannered court protests, Paul Whelan seems more like a school teacher than a dangerous international spy - yet that is exactly what Moscow accuses him of being.

The curious case of Michigan’s improbable ‘spy’ began in 2018 when Russian agents charged into his hotel room at Moscow’s Metropol and pinned the former US Marine to the floor as Whelan was getting ready for a friend’s wedding.

Paul Whelan's next 18 months were spent in prison before Whelan’s conviction in June 2000. The espionage trial was held almost entirely behind closed doors based on what the US ambassador to Moscow describes as ‘secret’ evidence.

Paul Whelan held up protest notes in his glass cage during proceedings and complained to journalists as he was marched in and out: “This is simply a dog and pony show for the media. They’re not doing anything at all.”

"Russia says it caught James Bond on a spy mission," he said in court one day. "In reality, they abducted Mr. Bean on holiday."

Paul Whelan: A man of many passports‍

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Paul Whelan's twin brother, David, dismissed speculation that Paul Whelan is a US government spy. According 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 when he was found guilty of bouncing checks and the attempted theft of $10,000 during a tour in Iraq.

David Whelan told SPYSCAPE that the imprisonment has been difficult on his brother and the entire family. In addition to their worries about Paul Whelan, strangers have been peering over their 80-year-old parents’ fence taking photos and YouTube conspiracy theory videos pop up wrongly tying Paul Whelan to assassination squads and secret flights: “I wouldn't wish this on anyone, or their family,” David Whelan said.
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Paul Whelan - who was born in Ottawa, Canada in 1970 and later moved to the US - has Irish and British citizenship through his parents and grandparents, which has ramped up international interest in his case. US-Russian relations remained at a post-Cold War low, however, and so far the diplomatic pressure from North America and Europe hasn’t worked.

He began visiting Russia while stationed in Iraq and returned frequently to tour the country. Paul Whelan even had a Russian social media account VK, Russia’s equivalent to Facebook.

In 2018, he was working in Novi, Michigan as director of global security for an automotive parts supplier but returned to Moscow to help a friend with his wedding to a Russian woman. There are varying reports as to what happened on that fateful day on December 28, 2018, and many outstanding questions about the flash drive, Paul Whelan’s Russian friends, and whether he will be allowed to serve his time in the US.
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Paul Whelan's arrest ‍

Paul Whelan told reporters that the espionage charge involved accusations that he was working for the US Defense Intelligence Agency when he obtained a flash drive from a friend containing the names of Russian border guards. In his defense, he said he thought the flash drive contained holiday photos and he hadn’t yet looked at it when he was ambushed by Moscow security services in his hotel room.

In any event, Paul Whelan told reporters it would be 'illogical' for him to carry out a mission involving a memory stick in the digital age.

Moscow has been hinting about a possible prisoner swap since shortly after PauL Whelan’s conviction, the BBC reported, leading to speculation that the former Marine was a political pawn in line for a potential ‘spy swap’. 

Paul Whelan's grim reality

US Ambassador John Sullivan visited Paul Whelan in prison in September 2021 and said he'd speak out on his behalf until Paul Whelan is released. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, meanwhile, maintains the American was caught 'red-handed'.

Paul Whelan has spent his days in a high-security prison, a former WWII gulag about 300 miles from Moscow. He described it as ‘pretty grim’. He shares the space with 50 to 60 other men and was confined throughout the Covid crisis.

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