New details have emerged about the military history Novi businessman Paul Whelan, who has been accused of spying in Russia.
Whelan, 48, was arrested Friday in Moscow, and was charged with espionage.
The Marine Corps released Whelan’s service record, showing that he was convicted in a 2008 court-martial on charges related to larceny.
He joined the Marine Reserves May 10, 1994, and was an administrative clerk and administrative chief. He rose to the rank of staff sergeant in December 2004 and was deployed in the war against Iraq for several months in 2004 and 2006.
He was convicted at a special court-martial in January 2008 on several charges related to larceny and was given a bad-conduct discharge in December 2008 at the rank of private.
Whelan’s last place of duty was Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in California.
Other work history
Whelan also worked as a Chelsea police officer from 1988-2000 as well as for the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department, he testified in a 2013 court deposition.
In 2001, Whelan began work at Kelly Services, a Troy-based company that offers consulting, temporary workers and workforce solutions to businesses around the world. He took a military leave of absence from Kelly Services, he testified, to serve in Iraq.
At Kelly Services, his title was senior manager of global security and investigations. His job included campus security as well as electronic and IT-related security. He left the company in 2016 and started working for BorgWarner, an Auburn Hills-based auto supplier, in 2017, according to company spokeswoman Kathy Graham.
His job at BorgWarner involves overseeing security for “facilities, assets and people” in Auburn Hills and around the world, Graham said.
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