A Russian court has sentenced a U.S. soldier to three years and nine months in prison for theft and threatening to kill his girlfriend, according to state news agencies.
Staff Sgt. Gordon Black received the sentence from a court in Vladivostok, in Russia’s far east, and will serve his term in a penal colony.
Soldier Admitted Stealing
Sgt. Black, arrested in May, denied the charges of threatening murder but admitted partial guilt for stealing $116 from his girlfriend.
Prosecutors sought a sentence of four years and eight months, while Black’s defense team requested acquittal.
Americans Detained in Russia
There are numerous Americans currently serving in Russian prisons.
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been jailed since March 2023, and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2020.
Alsu Kurmasheva, a Russian-American editor for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, has been detained since October and faces up to 10 years in prison.
