Jeffrey Delisle | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1971-03-30)March 30, 1971 (age 53) |
| Occupation(s) | Sub-Lieutenant in theRoyal Canadian Navy and agent forRussian intelligence |
| Criminal status | Pleaded guilty in October 2012, sentenced to 20 years |
| Spouse | Jennifer Lee Janes(m. 1997–2010) |
| Criminal charge | Espionage |
Jeffrey Paul Delisle (born March 30, 1971) was a formersub-lieutenant in theRoyal Canadian Navy who passed sensitive information from the top-secretSTONEGHOST intelligence sharing network to the Russian spy agencyGRU. Delisle's actions have been described as "exceptionally grave" by Canada'sDepartment of National Defence (DND) and "severe and irreparable" by theCanadian Security Intelligence Service.[2]
At court in October 2012, Delisle pleaded guilty to breach of trust and two counts of passing secret information to a foreign entity, contrary to theSecurity of Information Act. He was sentenced to 20 years in penitentiary, minus time served, by the Chief Judge of theProvincial Court of Nova Scotia on February 8, 2013.[3] On February 13, 2013, the Department of National Defence announced that Delisle had been stripped of his commission and service decorations and been released under Item 1(a), the notation "Dismissed with Disgrace for Misconduct" or "Dismissed for Misconduct".
Delisle graduated fromSackville High School in 1990.[4]
On May 3, 1997, Delisle married Jennifer Lee Janes inLower Sackville,Nova Scotia.[5] On February 17, 1998, he filed for bankruptcy and declared liabilities of $18,587 and assets of $1,000.[5] In June 2008, Delisle and his wife separated.[5] On May 3, 2010, Delisle and his wife filed for divorce, due to his wife's affair.[5][6]
Delisle served as a navalthreat assessment analyst[2] for the Royal Canadian Navy. He initially joined as a reservist in January 1996, enrolling as a regular member in March 2001. In October 2001, Delisle completed a leadership course and became a Master Corporal.[5] In November 2006, Delisle was promoted to Sergeant.[5] In 2008, he enrolled in the faculty of arts atRoyal Military College.[5] He received hiscommission as a Sub-Lieutenant in July 2008.[5][7] In September 2010, Delisle graduated from Royal Military College with a Bachelor of Arts.[5] He was posted to the multinational naval intelligence and communications centreHMCS Trinity inHalifax in August 2011.
In July 2007, Delisle walked into theEmbassy of Russia in Ottawa and offered to sell secret information to the Russian military intelligence service (known as theGRU).[5]
Delisle's activities were particularly damaging due to his access to theStone Ghost database of intelligence shared between Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. Referring to the information he passed on, he said: "It was never really Canadian stuff. ... There was American stuff, there was some British stuff, Australian stuff – it was everybody’s stuff."[2]
Delisle has blamed his espionage activities on his marital problems, rather than financial need. He entered the Russian embassy the day he discovered his wife was having an affair.[8]
The investigation into Delisle was triggered by a tip from the U.S.Federal Bureau of Investigation on December 2, 2011. His home was searched that month and he was arrested the following January.
Delisle had previously been stopped byCanada Border Services Agency agents atHalifax airport in September 2011 after returning from a trip to Brazil to meet his GRU handler, carrying a large amount of cash and prepaid credit cards. There is no sign this led to an investigation.[9] In May 2013,The Canadian Press reported thatCanadian Security Intelligence Service had been aware of Delisle's spying well before the FBI tip, but failed to contact theRoyal Canadian Mounted Police.[10]
On February 8, 2013, Delisle was sentenced to 20 years in prison. On February 13, 2013, it was announced by DND that Delisle had been stripped of his commission and service decorations and been dishonourably discharged. DND was also moving immediately to recover the salary paid to Delisle since his arrest in January 2012.[11]
TheParole Board of Canada granted Delisle day parole in October 2018,[12] and full parole in March 2019.[13]
Convicted spy Jeffrey Delisle has been granted full parole after serving one-third of an 18-year, five-month prison sentence for selling secrets about Canada and its allies to Russia.