Russian court to consider transferring jailed ex-Marine to U.S. -lawyers

FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who was detained and accused of espionage, holds a sign as he stands inside a defendants' cage during his verdict hearing in Moscow, Russia June 15, 2020. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo

MOSCOW (Reuters) -A Russian court plans to consider a request by a former U.S. Marine imprisoned in Russia to be transferred to the United States to serve his sentence there, his lawyers said on Wednesday.

Russia convicted Paul Whelan - who holds U.S., British, Canadian and Irish passports - of spying in June 2020 and sentenced him to 16 years in jail. He denied the charge and said he was set up in a sting operation, and Washington has demanded his release.