Jeffrey Paul Delisle (born March 30, 1971) was a former sub-lieutenant in the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...

who passed sensitive information from the top-secret

STONEGHOST STONEGHOST or "Stone Ghost", is a codename for a network operated by the United States' Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) for information sharing and exchange between the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. Some sources say t ...

intelligence sharing network to the Russian spy agency

GRU Gru is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the ''Despicable Me'' film series. Gru or GRU may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * Gru (rapper), Serbian rapper * Gru, an antagonist in '' The Kine Saga'' Organizations Georgia (c ...

. Delisle's actions have been described as "exceptionally grave" by Canada's

Department of National Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

(DND) and "severe and irreparable" by the

Canadian Security Intelligence Service The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS, ; , ''SCRS'') is a Intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service and security agency of the Government of Canada, federal government of Canada. It is responsible for gathering, processing, a ...

. 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 the

Security of Information Act The ''Security of Information Act'' (, R.S.C. 1985, c. O-5), formerly known as the ''Official Secrets Act'', is an Act of the Parliament of Canada that addresses national security concerns, including threats of espionage by foreign powers and L ...

. He was sentenced to 20 years in penitentiary, minus time served, by the Chief Judge of the

Provincial Court of Nova Scotia The Provincial Court of Nova Scotia is the court of criminal jurisdiction for the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. There are twenty-three Justices and one Chief Justice on the bench, who sit in one of 33 locations over the province. The Justices ...

on February 8, 2013. 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".

Biography

Early and personal life

Delisle graduated from

Sackville High School Sackville High School is a Canadian public high school located in Lower Sackville, a suburban community of the Halifax Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is operated by the Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE). Sackville Hi ...

in 1990. On May 3, 1997, Delisle married Jennifer Lee Janes in

Lower Sackville Lower Sackville is a suburban community of the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada. History Before European colonization in 1749, the Mi'kmaq lived in this area for thousands of years. In August 1749, Captain John Gorham, act ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

. On February 17, 1998, he filed for bankruptcy and declared liabilities of $18,587 and assets of $1,000. In June 2008, Delisle and his wife separated. On May 3, 2010, Delisle and his wife filed for divorce, due to his wife's affair.

Military career

Delisle served as a naval

threat assessment Threat assessment is the practice of determining the credibility and seriousness of a potential threat, as well as the probability that the threat will become a reality. Threat assessment is separate to the more established practice of violence-r ...

analyst 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. In November 2006, Delisle was promoted to Sergeant. In 2008, he enrolled in the faculty of arts at

Royal Military College Royal Military College may refer to: ;Australia * Royal Military College, Duntroon, Campbell, Australian Capital Territory ;Canada * Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, Ontario * Royal Military College Saint-Jean, Saint-Jean, Quebec ;Indi ...

. He received his

commission In-Commission or commissioning may refer to: Business and contracting * Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered ** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anot ...

as a Sub-Lieutenant in July 2008. In September 2010, Delisle graduated from Royal Military College with a Bachelor of Arts. He was posted to the multinational naval intelligence and communications centre in Halifax in August 2011.

Espionage

In July 2007, Delisle walked into the

Embassy of Russia in Ottawa The Embassy of Russia in Canada is the Russian embassy in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, located at 285 Charlotte Street, at the eastern terminus of Laurier Avenue, built by W.E. Noffke. To the south it looks out on Strathcona Park while to the east ...

and offered to sell secret information to the Russian military intelligence service (known as the

). Delisle's activities were particularly damaging due to his access to the

Stone Ghost STONEGHOST or "Stone Ghost", is a codename for a network operated by the United States' Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) for information sharing and exchange between the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. Some sources say t ...

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." 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.

Investigation and conviction

The investigation into Delisle was triggered by a tip from the U.S.

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

on December 2, 2011. His home was searched that month and he was arrested the following January. Delisle had previously been stopped by

Canada Border Services Agency The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA; , ''ASFC'') is a federal law enforcement agency that is responsible for border guard, border control (i.e. protection and surveillance), immigration enforcement, and Customs, customs services in Canada. ...

agents at

Halifax airport Halifax Stanfield International Airport is a Canadian airport in Goffs, Nova Scotia, a rural community of the Halifax Regional Municipality. It serves the Halifax region, mainland Nova Scotia, and adjacent areas in the neighbouring Maritime pr ...

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. In May 2013,

The Canadian Press The Canadian Press (CP; , ) is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Press has been a privately-held company, pr ...

reported that

had been aware of Delisle's spying well before the FBI tip, but failed to contact the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

. 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. The

Parole Board of Canada The Parole Board of Canada (PBC; ; formerly known as the National Parole Board) is the Canadian government agency that is responsible for reviewing and issuing parole and criminal pardons in Canada. It operates under the auspices of Public Sa ...

granted Delisle day parole in October 2018, and full parole in March 2019.

References