American Held in Russia on Spying Charges Was Misled: Lawyer

Paul Whelan, a former US Marine accused of espionage and arrested in Russia, listens to his lawyers while standing inside a defendants' cage during a hearing at a court in Moscow on Jan. 22, 2019. Mladen Antonov/AFP/Getty Images

The American who was accused of spying by Russian authorities was misled before his arrest, his lawyer said on Jan. 22.

Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan was detained in a Moscow hotel room on Dec. 28. His lawyer, Vladimir Zherebenkov, said his client believed a thumb drive given to him in the hotel room contained only holiday photos, instead of confidential information.