Paul Whelan sentenced to 16 years in prison
A former Marine by the name of Paul Whelan was convicted of espionage in Russia and sentenced to 16 years at hard labor today. Whelan maintained that he was framed, and his Russian attorney said that, while at a wedding in 2018, a friend handed him a flash drive that contained state secrets. Whelan told his attorney that he expects to be exchanged for a Russian pilot in a US prison on a cocaine conspiracy charge and, perhaps for arms dealer Victor Bout. Brian and John speak with Bryan Macdonald, a journalist who specializes in Eastern Europe and Russia.