MOSCOW – A Novi man accused of being a spy was arrested in Russia. Since then, the U.S. Consulate has had staff in to see Paul Whelan.
Whelan's family insist he's not a spy, and his Russian friends agree. It was not Whelan's first trip to Russia, and family said he was there attending the wedding of a friend and helping American guests navigate Moscow.
READ: Novi man accused of spying in Russia allowed to meet with United States diplomats
Whelan was active on Russian social media site VK, similar to Facebook, and had friends who were former members of the Russian military. It's believed that that could be a reason he was flagged by Russian authorities.
Whelan spent 14 years in the Marine Corps reserve but was discharged for bad conduct in 2008. The discharge was due to attempted larceny, making a false official statement, wrongfully using another's Social Security number and writing bad checks.
Whelan disappeared from view on Dec. 28 from the upscale hotel he was staying at in Moscow for the wedding. Russian authorities confirm that's when they detained him.