![Michigan Man Sentenced to 16 Years In Russian Labor Camp](https://townsquare.media/site/689/files/2020/06/Paul-Whelan.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Michigan Man Sentenced to 16 Years In Russian Labor Camp
This Michigan man was found guilty and sentenced in a secret Russian court proceeding.
According to wikipedia,50-year-old Paul Nicholas Whelan has once served as a police officer in Chelsea, MI and a sheriff's deputy in Washtenaw. Now, after what many are calling a completely fraudulent case and bogus charges, Whelan is on the other side of the law on the other side of the world.
Monday Whelan was sentenced to 16 years in a Russian forced labor prison for spying for the United States. His brother told Click on Detroit that he should have been acquitted due to lack of evidence. So, they're obviously disappointed in the sentence. However, this is a good news / bad news situation. Apparently, Russia will not even consider a prisoner swap or letting him go until he was convicted and sentenced. No the wheels can finally start turning to get him out.
The problem for the U.S. government is they feel they would have to trade prisoners that were found guilty in a fair trial with a man that was wrongfully convicted. The bottom line is we have to get him home some how.
Paul Whelan was arrested in his Moscow hotel room on December 28th, 2018 for an alleged act of espionage and has been imprisoned ever since.
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