(WXYZ) — Bill Richardson, the former governor of New Mexico, is planning to head to Russia in the coming weeks in an effort to bring Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner back home.
Richardson, who works on behalf of the families of detainees, has previously secured the release of Huntington Woods native Danny Fenster, who was imprisoned in Myanmar.
According to ABC News, Richardson also played a role in securing the release of former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed from Russia in a prisoner exchange.
Sources say Richardson met with Russian leadership earlier this year and came away with a clear sense of what they were willing to do.
ABC News reports that Russia has previously suggested it's interested in prisoner trades.
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Griner has been imprisoned since mid-February after being stopped at an airport and accused of having vape cartridges with hashish oil in her luggage. She said she will plead guilty to the charges.
Whelan, who is from Novi, has been imprisoned in Russia since 2018 when he was arrested at a Moscow hotel and charged with espionage. He was convicted in June 2020 and sentenced to 16 years in prison.
The Whelan family says they confirmed the trip with the Richardson Center, adding that Richardson has been working with the family since 2019.
“I think they have very unspecific goals," Paul's twin brother David said of the trip. "They’ve been asked by both Ms. Griner's family and ours to look into these cases and it’s really just exploratory to find out what’s possible.”
Richardson is the former governor of New Mexico and recently helped secure the release of Michigan journalist Danny Fenster who was detained in Myanmar, and also helped to secure the release of Trevor Reed from Russia.
“How hopeful are you that this trip will lead to something?" 7 Action News reporter Brett Kast asked David Whelan.
"Not really," David Whelan responded. "He doesn't have a government mandate so there’s not anything he can promise the Russian government... He can have conversations that maybe the diplomats might not be able to have and hopefully we’ll start to be able to find out information that could help Paul's case.”
When Trevor Reed was released, Paul was left behind. While David says he’d be thrilled for Griner to come home, he’d be devastated if Paul were left behind again.
“There's always a chance that Ms. Griner could come home by herself and leave Paul home again and I think if that were to happen, all these people who are now aware of Paul's case would be more likely to advocate for Paul's release because they would see the unfairness of him having to stay there,” David said.
