Paul Whelan

Russia sentences US ex-marine to 16 years in spy trial

Russia Sentences US Ex-Marine To 16 Years In Spy Trial

A Russian court on Monday sentenced former US marine Paul Whelan to 16 years in a penal colony for espionage in a verdict that has outraged Washington.A Moscow court found Whelan guilty of receiving classified information as he stood in the dock with a sign that read “Sham trial!” and pleaded for US President Donald Trump to intervene.

The court process is “slimy, greasy Russian politics, nothing more, nothing less,” he told reporters.

The case has strained ties between Moscow and Washington and fuelled speculation of a prisoner swap.

Whelan, 50, has been held in a Moscow jail since …