Bargaining chip or spy? Career ambassador says Paul Whelan case 'too sloppy' to be spycraft

More than a week since the long arm of the Russian government reached into our back yard, much is still unknown about the circumstances surrounding the arrest of a Novi man. Accused of espionage, Paul Whelan has been alone in a detention cell in Lefortovo prison. For days, his family says, he was without toiletries and a change of clothing. Whelan is a former Marine, discharged after being court-marshaled for larceny. He has four passports from four different countries, and a fascination with Russia and with Russians. It was a friend’s wedding, his family says, that brought him there last week.