Russia sentences dual US-Russian citizen to 15 years on espionage charges

Russia sentences dual US-Russian citizen to 15 years on espionage charges

Russia sentences dual US-Russian citizen to 15 years on espionage charges / CC: Moscow Times

By bnm Gulf bureau December 24, 2024

A Moscow court has sentenced US citizen Gene Spector to 15 years in prison on espionage charges, combining a new 13-year sentence with time remaining from a previous conviction, state media reported December 24.

The court ordered Spector to serve the term in a maximum security penal colony and pay a fine of RUB14.1mn (approximately $140,500), according to independent Russian outlet Media Zona, which had a journalist present at the hearing.

Spector, who was born in Russia before emigrating to the United States, was already serving a four-year sentence after pleading guilty in 2021 to acting as an intermediary in a bribery case involving a former aide to ex-Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich.

Before his legal troubles, Spector had served as chairman of Medpolymerprom Group, a company specializing in cancer drugs, according to state news agency TASS.

The US embassy in Moscow indicated last August that they were aware Spector was in custody but had no information about the new espionage charges when they were initially filed.

The case adds to growing tensions over detained US citizens in Russia, though details of the specific espionage allegations against Spector have not been made public.

The Russian court conducted the proceedings behind closed doors, as is typical in cases involving espionage charges.

#Russia #US

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