Russian Court Sentences US Soldier to Jail for Theft, Interfax Reports
(Bloomberg) -- A Russian judge found US Staff Sergeant Gordon Black guilty of theft and death threats against a local woman he’d traveled to visit, adding to the number of Americans held in the country.
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Black, 34, was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison, the Interfax news service reported from the courtroom in Vladivostok, in the Far East region. Investigators had accused Black of grabbing his girlfriend by the neck during a quarrel, which she considered a threat to her life, and stole 10 thousand rubles ($117) from her in May of this year.
His lawyer said they will appeal, according to Interfax. Black had denied making a deadly threat and pleaded partially guilty to the theft charges, saying he’d returned the money, according to the news service.
Black flew to Russia for personal reasons and without official authorization, the US Army said in May. He was scheduled to change duty stations from South Korea to Texas, signing out on leave in April, according to the army. Instead of returning to the US, he flew from South Korea’s Incheon Airport to Vladivostok, Russia, via China.
Among Americans already held in Russia are businessman Paul Whelan and journalist Evan Gershkovich, both of whom the US classifies as wrongfully detained, as well as dual citizens Alsu Kurmasheva, a journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty who’s accused of failing to register as a foreign agent, and Ksenia Karelina, who was detained on treason charges, reportedly tied to a charitable donation to benefit Ukraine after Russia’s invasion.
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