14 DAY TRIAL // Sub-Lt. Jeffrey Paul Delisle, the Canadian navy officer accused of selling military secrets to Russia, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
According to The Washington Times, Delisle will stay in jail for 18 years and 5 months because of the time he has already served. In addition, the spy will also have to pay a fine of around $111,000 (83,000 EUR).
Back in October 2012, the man admitted that he had sold secret information to agents from a Russian military agency between 2007 and 2011.
Shortly after his arrest, Delisle told the police that he was having marital problems. He said he wanted to take his own life on numerous occasions, but instead, he committed professional suicide by walking into the Russian embassy in Ottawa and offering his services for money.
Starting with July 2007, the officer transferred files from his work computer onto a USB stick and then forwarded the information to his Russian contacts.
At some point, he wanted to back out, but the Russians showed him a picture of his daughter to change his mind.
He became suspicious to Canadian authorities after he met some Russian operatives in Brazil. When he returned to Canada, he was carrying a fairly large amount of money in cash, so the military began an investigation.
During the trial, the prosecution argued that his actions could have resulted in the loss of lives. In addition, they said the incident might damage the country’s relations with its allies, considering that the officer had access to information shared by the US, New Zealand, Britain, and Australia.
On the other hand, the defense argued that the damage was only theoretical.
Delisle is the first individual to be convicted under the country’s Security of Information Act.