Jeffrey Paul Delisle (born March 30, 1971) is a former
Sub-Lieutenant in the
Royal Canadian Navy
The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submar ...
who passed sensitive information from the top-secret
STONEGHOST intelligence sharing network to the Russian spy agency
GRU
The Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, rus, Гла́вное управле́ние Генера́льного шта́ба Вооружённых сил Росси́йской Федера́ци ...
. Delisle's actions have been described as "exceptionally grave" by Canada's
Department of National Defence (DND) and "severe and irreparable" by the
Canadian Security Intelligence Service
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS, ; french: Service canadien du renseignement de sécurité, ''SCRS'') is Canada's primary national intelligence agency. It is responsible for collecting, analysing, reporting and disseminating int ...
.
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. 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 Hig ...
in 1990.
On May 3, 1997, Delisle married Jennifer Lee Janes in
Lower Sackville,
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
.
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 Corporal.
In November 2006, Delisle was promoted to Sergeant.
In 2008, he enrolled in the faculty of arts at
Royal Military College.
He received his
commission 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 (also known as Free Ukraine Street), at the eastern terminus of Laurier Avenue, built by W.E. Noffke. To the south it looks out on ...
and offered to sell secret information to the Russian military intelligence service (known as the
GRU
The Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, rus, Гла́вное управле́ние Генера́льного шта́ба Вооружённых сил Росси́йской Федера́ци ...
).
Delisle's activities were particularly damaging due to his access to the
Stone 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."
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 and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...
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 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 pro ...
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; french: La Presse canadienne, ) is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for the time's Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Pre ...
reported that
Canadian Security Intelligence Service
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS, ; french: Service canadien du renseignement de sécurité, ''SCRS'') is Canada's primary national intelligence agency. It is responsible for collecting, analysing, reporting and disseminating int ...
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; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...
.
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 (french: Commission des libérations conditionnelles du Canada; formerly known as the National Parole Board) is the Canadian government agency that is responsible for reviewing and issuing parole and criminal pardons i ...
granted Delisle day parole in October 2018, and full parole in March 2019.
See also
*
Stephen Joseph Ratkai
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Delisle, Jeffrey
1971 births
21st-century Canadian criminals
Canadian male criminals
Canadian spies
2012 crimes in Canada
Living people
Royal Canadian Navy officers
People convicted of spying for the Russian Federation