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Russia-US spy scandal

Family of American charged with spying in Russia expect help from ex-Trump campaign member

A corporate security director for automotive parts supplier BorgWarner, 49-year-old Paul Whelan was detained in Moscow on December 28, 2018

Paul Whelan Sergei Savostyanov/TASS

Paul Whelan

© Sergei Savostyanov/TASS

NEW YORK, October 17. /TASS/. The family of Paul Whelan, an American charged with espionage in Russia, expects assistance from former member of Donald Trump’s campaign team David Urban, who has volunteered to help resolve the situation, Paul’s brother David Whelan told TASS in an email on Thursday.

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Russia’s Foreign Ministry commented claims by Whelan’s sister of his unlawful detention

"We are grateful to have the assistance of David Urban, who has volunteered to advocate on Paul's behalf within the US government. We hope he can have conversations with the State Department and others that we might not be able to have ourselves. The solution to Paul's dilemma runs through the US White House and Executive branch agencies," he said.

David Whelan added that "the UK has asked the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to allow a visit and we hope they will see Paul shortly."

Whelan case

According to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), 49-year-old Paul Whelan, corporate security director at Michigan-based automotive components supplier BorgWarner, was detained in Moscow on December 28, 2018, while on a spy mission. He faces charges under Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code (espionage), which carries a punishment of ten to 20 years in prison.

Apart from US citizenship, Whelan also holds British, Canadian and Irish passports.

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