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June 16, 2020

Russian Court Sentences U.S. Citizen Paul Whelan to 16 Years for Espionage
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In Russia, former U.S. marine Paul Whelan was sentenced Monday to 16
years of hard labor after being convicted of espionage. Whelan was
arrested in Moscow last year after reportedly being given a flash drive
containing classified information while visiting Russia for a wedding.
Whelan has denied all charges and says he was framed. Some have
speculated his arrest was retaliation for the arrest of Russian gun
rights activist Maria Butina, who in 2018 pleaded guilty to conspiring
to act as a Russian agent without registering with the Justice
Department.


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