Paul Whelan is a former U.S. Marine who was imprisoned in Russia after being accused of espionage. He gained international attention after Russian authorities released him as part of a prisoner exchange between the United States and Russia in Ankara, Turkey, on Thursday, August 1. Now, people want to know who his family is and if he has a wife.
Who is Paul Whelan?
According to the Detroit Free Press, Paul Whelan is unmarried and has no children. He has three siblings: twin brother David, sister Elizabeth, and a second brother Andrew. Whelan, whose full name is Paul Nicholas Whelan, is originally from Ottawa, Ontario, where he was born in March 1970. Whelan's parents, Edward and Rosemary Whelan, moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, when he was quite young. In addition to the U.S., Whelan holds passports from three other countries: Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
In 1988, Whelan graduated from Huron High School in Ann Arbor, along with his brother David. He joined the Marine Corps Reserve in 1994 and began working for the American staffing agency Kelly Services in 2001. Two years later, he took a military leave from the company to resume his duties with the Marine Corps Reserve. He served at one point in Iraq, taking part in Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2008, Whelan was convicted in a court-martial of theft and other charges and was subsequently discharged for bad conduct.
When Russian authorities arrested Whelan, he was director of global security and investigations for BorgWarner, an automotive and e-mobility supplier headquartered in Michigan. His home address at the time was Novi, MI.
