User.Identity.IsAuthenticated problem in global. asax

In the code snippet below, I am trying to see if the user is logged in and has verified their email using the role manager of .net. As the application loads, the User.Identity.IsAuthenticated produces a
Object reference not set to an instance of an object error

Can anyone help me find a work around. Thanks.

Sub Application_AuthenticateRequest(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs)
       If User.Identity.IsAuthenticated <> Nothing Then
            If User.IsInRole("UnvalidatedEmail") Then
                Response.Redirect("VerifyCode")
            End If
        End If
end sub

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