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RCMP via Reuters
Naval intelligence officer Jeffrey Delisle is shown in this still image taken from video of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police videotaped interrogation of the confessed spy in Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia on Jan.13, 2012. Delisle found himself facing Mountie Jim Moffatt at the RCMP detachment after he was arrested following the interception days earlier of attempted transmissions to the Russians.
Published at 7:15 p.m. ET -- A Canadian naval officer who handed over secrets to Russia for more than four years, damaging Canada's relations with the United States and other key allies, was jailed for 20 years on Friday.
Sub-Lt. Jeffrey Delisle, dressed in a blue hooded sweatshirt and jeans, showed no reaction when found guilty of breach of trust and handing information to a foreign entity that could harm national interests.
He was also fined $111,817 (Canadian), the sum he received from his Russian spy masters.
Delisle, 41, worked at a security unit in Halifax that tracked vessels entering and exiting Canadian waters. He stole secret information by copying it onto a computer memory stick.
Officials told a sentencing hearing last week that allies had threatened to withhold intelligence from Canada unless it tightened security procedures.
Canada shares sensitive information with the United States, Britain, New Zealand and Australia.
Gen. Tom Lawson, chief of the Canadian defense staff, said Canada was boosting security in the wake of what he called Delisle's odious behavior.
"A critical foundation of our intelligence mission is the mutual trust we have forged with our allies ... Sub-Lieutenant Delisle failed each and every Canadian," he said in a statement.
Delisle, unhappy after his marriage started to break up, walked into the Russian embassy in Ottawa in July 2007 and offered to sell secrets.
Authorities first became suspicious after Delisle returned to Canada from a meeting with a Russian handler in Brazil in 2011, carrying tens of thousands of dollars in cash and pre-paid credit cards. This prompted an investigation that ended with the officer's arrest in January 2012.
He was the first person to be charged under a secrecy law that was enacted after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and can carry a life sentence. Prosecutors had demanded a 20-year sentence while Delisle's lawyers argued a 10-year term would be appropriate.
As he left court he glanced briefly at several members of his family in the room.
Defence lawyer Mike Taylor said Delisle "is a little bit shocked. It's a significant sentence that he received and one that quite frankly I don't think he was really expecting."
Taylor told reporters it was too early to say whether an appeal would be lodged.
Delisle was also given nine years in jail for attempting to communicate information to a foreign entity and five years for breach of trust, with all sentences to be served concurrently.
Taking the time he served in pretrial custody into account, Delisle will spend 18 years and five months in jail.
Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.
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Canada is a wonderful country with strong social programs, a strong middle class, plenty of jobs, and fair, humane laws.
Thing I like best aboot Canada is the Sane way they treat the use of Marijuana.
Canada has a strong middle class and plenty of jobs because it exploits its natural resources. Isn't that considered a mortal sin by the tree hugging libtards?
Back on topic, look at that fat stupid canuck. It's incredible that we trust these people with sensitive military secrets at all.
yeah we have a bunch of fat slugs, but only 20 years? death by firing squad or life and I mean life (not 20 years then parole) in a military prison
there hasn't been an execution for espionage in the USA since the Rosenbergs - that was 60 years ago.
wow. why all the Canada hate? We Californians like our Canadian friends .. and we love their healthcare system.
Here in 'Murica, he would have been sent to prison for life.
Defence lawyer Mike Taylor said Delisle "is a little bit shocked. It's a significant sentence that he received and one that quite frankly I don't think he was really expecting."
That's the best part of justice isn't it? ... when arrogant offenders can't count on a predictable risk/benefit outcome.
We are long overdue, Bradley Manning seems like a good place to start again. Another great candidate would be Nidal Malik Hasan
A traitor should get death, period! Everyone of those scumbags that are in American prisons who sold secrets to the enemy should have their sentence commuted to death. This Canadian traitor is no different. A nice proper firing squad should be in order for anyone, whether military or not, who sells their countrymen out for profit.
This guy is a traitor and should be hung from the neck until his pitiful life is ended. I don't understand why they give these people jail time. They put people's lives at risk.
No death penalty in Canada.
that's your issue then
not that I give a frak about baby seals but how can a country that smashes their heads in lol not have a death penalty?
so EXACTLY what was the good (intelligence wise) of what he provided? Did it get anyone KILLED? IF not, then execution is not warranted anyway. I'm not in favor of espionage, but a death sentence for a non-wartime event is a bit over the line.
From what I've read in other stories, the intelligence wasn't of much value. The biggest damage was causing tension between Canada and her allies - by this being exposed. Of course, nobody will ever really say what specific information was shared, so we'll probably never know.
Maybe death is over the line, but 20 years for betraying the trust of your country is insufficient.
I agree. We are too easy on criminals. This guy gets free room & board for 20 yrs. Should be tortured and killed for treason in the USA. This would deter future crimes. Limit the appeals so it doesn't cost the tax payers millions which makes a mockery of our justice system. Don't listen to the cry babies advocating for "human rights". That is such a crock of crap. They lost their rights when they are found guilty of treason...same as these idiots that massacre people. Torture them for 2 weeks until they're dead. Let the punishment fit the crime. Free room and board, TV, internet, fun in the courtyard is not punishment...and criminals will enjoy getting free room & board. What a waste of taxpayer $$$ thanks to the "softies" way of thinking.
@put a fork in it- Actually there is war. In Afghanistan.
Im glad they caught this guy. He has 18 years to think about what he did. Although in Canada you only do 2/3rds with good behavior. So its likely he'll only do 12.
As I read the article it stated that after his pre-conviction time served, he still has another 18 years & 5 months to serve. It does not sound like he will get 'good time' for this type of crime and conviction and well may reflect an agreement to plead guilty and serve this rather than risk a life sentence.
In Canada, everyone is eligible for parole at 2/3rds way through their sentence. Including multiple sentences running concurrently. Unless it specifically says in their sentencing, no parole.
If you do your time with good behaviour, in other words, no incidents or reports against you, then parole is generally granted. Of course its not always granted if your crime is particularly heinous, or serious. Its hard to say what they will do with this guy. But its possible he will get out at 2/3rds way through, because his sentence doesn't specifically deny him parole.
Canada has an excellent healthcare system that the United States should try to model. We also need to bring our taxes on upper-income earners and corporations up to their levels. The rich get away without having to contribute their fair share in the U.S. and even though the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) is better than what we had before, it is still woefully inadequate. A single-payer system, such as Canada and Great Britain have is the direction we need to go.
People go to the US for treatment when they do not want to wait. No one waits for needed care that is life or death.
When my Canadian born daughter needed treatment for a fall, we where waiting for 20 mins before she was seen. Her care was top level as well.
Every system has it's problems and the US health system is no exception. I have been nearly bankrupted when I went to the hospital in my home state and that was with Insurance. I can also tell you that I have waited 8 to 10 hours in emergency rooms. So, yeah, There are shortages of Doctors in Canada and their are wait times for things in Canada that no one waits for in the US. Then again, you are not likely to be bankrupted in Canada just so you can actually stay alive.
as you can in the US while there you are getting raped in taxes to pay, here if you can afford it or well are a douchebag you just don't need to pay, medical debt doesn't really hurt your credit score. Plus NO hospital that can accept any federal money aka medicare (which most hospitals accept) can turn you away from treatment regardless of your ability to pay
Canadas healthcare system is one of the top rated systems in world. They only have wait lists for elective surgeries. Stuff that can wait. Emergencies are treated immediately. And the only reason there are wait lists at all, because there's a shortage of doctors. Its not because the system doesn't work.
You wont find many Canadians that would trade for the American system, even for the lower taxes. Canadians are happy to take care of their own.
I don't know... why do Americans go to the Phillipines and Thailand for medical procedures? By your logic, those countries' healthcare systems must be superior to the US's.
bow2me
Why do Americans go to great lengths to get medications from other countries ( including Canada ) for cheaper prices?
Obviously Americans should be able to buy medications from any place that is the cheapest, but if a Canadian dose not want to wait for something in Canada they go to the US. It really is that simple. There really is a lot of misinformation about healthcare in Canada. To say that Americans have been lied to by Washington and by pharma companies about the Canadian heath care system would be an understatement.
Again, Canada dose not have a perfect system and just like everything else that involves humans it never will be perfect, but the US is in no better shape, we just have different medical industry problems then Canada dose.
Canada has a navy?
AND an ocean on both sides just like the U.S.
Who'da thunk it, aye?
yeah they don't have ships though they just do polar plunges
Um.. the Arctic Ocean is, in fact, an ocean, so Canada borders three oceans.
not worth it for $120k cn.
What a load of crap. Breach of trust and handing information - more like TREASON. Asshat should be hanged by his nuts and neck.
This remains one of the Jonathan Pollard spying case.
English translation, please?
This seems a bit strange......... Canada and Montreal are wonderful places......... But it seems where St. Catherine and St. Laurent intersect in Montreal..... As is reported, anything about Canada may possibly be purchased, why use a spy?
I would say a bullet in the head would be more appropriate.
Guy looks like a Lesbian.
Sell your countrymen out for money, you deserve to die.
oui oui canadien coming out of the closets... And another punitive damage for canadien and british interpol to help the catholic pope steal from him the rich chinese by creating a law enforcement hunt for the fugitive expose by the crimes commited. tsk tsk poor people in government can only end up poor and poverty stricken even as a devoted catholics (thats plurism of unity). tsk tsk. Ahem. They only get caught if they repeat. Ahem. oui oui.
What sort of secrets was he selling to the Russians? Top secret moose recipes? Their proprietary hat designs?
Norad shizz is my guess...
But i had a laugh Matt... and as a Canadian, i was actually wondering the same thing ... its not like we have many high tech weapons factories up here....
I wonder why he gets 20 years but the guys at HRDC who copied 50000 clients highly personal information onto a USB flash drive with no encryption(yes they "lost" it) get nothing. They even keep there jobs and no loss of pay.
I guess military secrets=bad but personal/ID theft is okie dokie!