Paul Whelan, BorgWarner's security director, has been formally charged in Russia with espionage, according to a variety of media reports.
The Interfax news agency report on Paul Whelan’s status could not be independently verified by the Washington Post. “An indictment has been presented. Whelan dismisses it,” Interfax reported, citing a person familiar with the situation, the Post reported.
Jon Huntsman, the U.S. ambassador to Russia, visited the American detained in Russia on Wednesday and spoke afterward with his family.
Whelan, a former Marine, now lives in suburban Detroit and works at BorgWarner in Auburn Hills, Mich. Whelan hadn’t been in touch with his family since his Dec. 28 arrest, his brother David said on Twitter.
“Ambassador Huntsman visited Mr. Paul Whelan today in the Lefortovo Detention Facility,” according to the State Department. “Ambassador Huntsman expressed his support for Mr. Whelan and offered the Embassy’s assistance.”
The State Department official, who commented on condition of anonymity, said the U.S. expressed “concern about the delay in consular access” for Whelan, adding that there would be no additional comment due to privacy considerations.
Earlier, family members said there were “deeply concerned for his safety and well-being," adding that “his innocence is undoubted and we trust that his rights will be respected."
Whelan was arrested “during an espionage operation,” Russia’s Federal Security Service, known as the FSB, said on Monday. He faces a sentence of as long as 20 years in prison if found guilty of spying.
“We’ve made clear to the Russians our expectation that we will learn more about the charges, come to understand what it is he’s been accused of and if the detention is not appropriate we will demand his immediate return,” Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said earlier.
Spy exchanges
The detention came two weeks after Maria Butina, a Russian gun enthusiast, pleaded guilty in the U.S. to conspiring to act as an unregistered foreign agent. Following her deal with prosecutors, in which she faces a maximum sentence of five years, President Vladimir Putin said at his annual press conference that Russia wouldn’t “arrest innocent people simply to exchange them for someone else later on.”
Moscow and NATO countries have routinely conducted spy exchanges in the past, including the swap of 10 Russian sleeper agents for four alleged double agents in 2010.
BorgWarner said in a statement it has been in touch with the U.S. government to help Whelan, who oversees security at its Michigan facilities and at other locations around the world. The company does not have any facilities in Russia but has supplied Russian truckmaker Kamaz PJSC with technology for over 15 years.
“Whelan now becomes a bargaining chip and his fate is political, not judicial,” Julian Rimmer, a London-based trader at Investec Bank Plc, said by email. “Russians probably need leverage in the Butina affair, and an ex-Marine is both useful and guaranteed to generate publicity.”
BorgWarner said in a statement it has been in touch with the U.S. government to help Whelan, who oversees security at its Michigan facilities and at other locations around the world. The company does not have any facilities in Russia but has supplied Russian truckmaker Kamaz PJSC with technology for over 15 years.
The statement read: "BorgWarner learned of the arrest of our employee Paul Whelan by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) from news reports published Dec. 31, 2018. We can confirm that Mr. Whelan currently serves as the company’s director, global security. He is responsible for overseeing security at our facilities in Auburn Hills, Michigan and at other company locations around the world.
"BorgWarner has been in contact with the relevant U.S. Government authorities in order to help our employee and the U.S. government. We ask that any further inquiries regarding this issue be directed to the U.S. State Department."
Bloomberg and Automotive News staff contributed to this report.
