A US soldier pleaded guilty to theft and was sentenced to nearly four years in a Russian prison.
A court in the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok sentenced Staff Sergeant Gordon Black, 34, to three years and nine months in prison for theft and making death threats, the Associated Press reported.
Black was arrested in Vladivostok on May 2 and was in pretrial detention after being charged with stealing from his girlfriend, after which he pleaded guilty and cooperated with investigators with the help of an English interpreter.
Russia’s state-run news agency reported that the judge also ordered Black to pay 10,000 rubles ($115) in damages. Prosecutors had sought a prison sentence of four years and eight months, the Associated Press reported.
The ruling comes amid heightened tensions after Russia arrested several Americans amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, and the State Department has urged Americans not to travel to Russia.
Black was stationed at Camp Humphreys in South Korea before making his unauthorized trip to Russia. The Pentagon said he had been cleared out of the South Korean base on April 10 and traveled to Russia for “personal reasons” on his way to be stationed in Texas.
His mother claims he was lured to Russia by his girlfriend, Alexandra Vashchuk, and tricked into leaving.
According to Russian state media, the couple had an argument on their arrival in Russia and when Vashtyuk realised his money was missing he called police for help.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said Black’s detention had nothing to do with politics or espionage, while the U.S. Defense Department said it was investigating the circumstances of his arrest.
The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.
