Former US marine convicted of espionage is sentenced to 16 years in prison by Russian court
Former US marine Paul Whelan was convicted of espionage and sentenced to 16 years in prison, a Moscow court ruled Monday, concluding a months-long case that put additional strain to already complicated US-Russian relations. He has been in Lefortovo prison in Moscow since and the trial was held behind closed doors. Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer dubbed the "Merchant of Death" who was sentenced to 25 years in US federal prison in 2012, has also been mentioned. "The treatment of Paul Whelan at the hands of Russian authorities has been appalling," Pompeo said. We had hoped that the court might show some independence but, in the end, Russian judges are political, not legal, entities.