An unnamed source inside of a Russian security service, according to Rosbalt, also claims Whelan received the USB only after inviting a local Russian citizen to his room at the Metropol Hotel in Moscow.

Agents with the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation, or FSB, promptly burst in after the handoff, Rosbalt reported.

Courthouse News Service was not able to independently verify these claims.

It could take more than a year for a trial to finally get underway, Zherebenkov said Thursday. If Whelan is found guilty, he could face 10 to 20 years in prison.

The former U.S. marine served two tours in Iraq and was discharged for bad conduct in 2008 after a military court found him guilty of attempted larceny.