Russia Seeks 18 Years for American Charged as Spy: Interfax
- Paul Whelan says he was set up by a man who owed him money
- Verdict in spy case expected June 15, Interfax reports
Paul Whelan inside a defendants' cage during a hearing in Moscow in 2019.
Photographer: Mladen Antonov/AFP via Getty Images
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Russian prosecutors asked for an 18-year sentence for former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who is on trial in Moscow charged with spying, the Interfax news service reported, citing his lawyer Vladimir Zherebenkov.
Whelan denies the allegations and claims he was set up by a Russian Federal Security Service major who owed him 100,000 rubles ($1,400). He has been detained in Moscow for 17 months and tried in a closed courtroom on the spy charges, which carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.