MOSCOW – The family of a Novi man who is being held in solitary confinement in Russia on charges of espionage is speaking out.
Paul Whelan was picked up by Russian authorities on Dec. 28. At the time of his arrest he had four passports -- from the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Ireland.
His family released a letter to clear up questions regarding the four passports.
It reads, in part, "we're hoping this week to see Paul receive another consular visit."
The U.S. Ambassador to Russia, John Huntsman, visited Whelan last week.
The U.S. Embassy has indicated it will continue to lead on consular efforts since Paul entered Russia on a U.S. passport.
Appointed public defender Vladmir Zherebenkov will work with Whelan, and Whelan's family has made contact with the public defender.
"We have not exchanged anything other than our own contact information, but we now have a conduit so that if Mr. Zherebenkov, who doesn't appear to speak English, and the family want to communicate, we can do so."
A Russian media outlet reported that Whelan is only represented at the consular level by the United States because he needs to give permission before getting similar help from the Irish, Canadian or British foreign offices.
Whelan is an American citizen with British parents who lived in Canada. His grandparents are Irish. According to a media report Whelan competed with a sister to see who could acquire the most passports.