Paul Whelan was discharged from the Marines for bad conduct in 2008 after being convicted of larceny.
The specific charges against him included attempting to steal more than $10,000 in 2006 in Iraq and using a false Social Security number to create a false account on a government computer system to grade his own examinations.
Whelan enlisted in the Marine Reserves in 1994. He took military leave from Kelly Services to serve with the Marine Corps Reserve from 2003 to 2008, including service in Iraq. He held the rank of staff sergeant with Marine Air Control Group 38 working as an administrative clerk and administrative chief, and he was part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Following his discharge from the Marines, he worked as a director of global security and investigations for BorgWarner, an international automotive parts manufacturer based in Michigan.
Whelan was arrested in December 2018 while visiting Moscow for a friend’s wedding and charged with espionage by Russian intelligence officials. Whelan has denied the charges.
On June 15, 2020, Paul Whelan was convicted and sentenced to 16 years in prison with the possibility of time in a labor camp in Russia.