Russian Court Sentences American Citizen to 15 Years in Prison

Russian Court Sentences American Citizen to 15 Years in Prison
December 24, 2024, 12:24 pm

أمريكا وروسيا

A Russian court issued a 15-year prison sentence on Tuesday for American citizen Gene Spector in a espionage case whose details remain unclear, according to Russian news agencies.

The ruling, reported by the RIA Novosti agency, stated that Spector will serve his sentence in a "strict regime penal facility." Additionally, the court imposed a fine of 14 million rubles, equivalent to approximately 134,000 euros.

So far, the trial has been conducted in closed sessions, with only limited details disclosed regarding the charges against Spector.

In the context of the Russian military operation in Ukraine that began in February 2022, many Westerners, particularly Americans, have been detained in Russia, often facing serious charges without clear evidence.

Gene Spector, who has Russian roots, had been sentenced in September 2022 to three and a half years in prison for corruption in a case involving former Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich.

In 2023, Russian authorities announced that he was also accused of espionage, to which he pleaded guilty and entered into a cooperation agreement with investigators. Due to the case's confidentiality, no further information has been disclosed.

According to the TASS news agency, Spector was born and raised in Russia before settling in the United States and obtaining American citizenship. He served as the chairman of the board of the Russian company Medpolimerprom Group.

On August 1, Russia and Western countries executed the largest prisoner exchange since the end of the Cold War, which included American journalist Evan Gershkovich and former Marines among those exchanged after being released by Moscow.

Rumors suggest there may be another prisoner exchange between the West and Russia before or after Donald Trump's arrival in the White House in January.

In early November, a Moscow court upheld a 12-and-a-half-year prison sentence for American-Russian citizen Robert Woodland, who was detained in January in a drug-related case. Another American citizen, 72-year-old Stephen Hubbard, was sentenced to seven years for acting as a mercenary for Ukraine.

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