Russia sentenced US citizens to 15 years in prison for espionage

Russia sentenced US citizens to 15 years in prison for espionage

A Moscow court sentenced a US citizen to 15 years in prison on Tuesday, after he was charged with espionage, as the state news agency Ria Novosti reports.

Background of the case

Gene Spector, who was born in Russia, but later moved to the United States and acquired American citizenship, had previously been sentenced to four years in prison. This conviction took place in a bribery scandal because of his role as an intermediary, as Russian state media reported.

Details of the conviction

The independent Russian organization Media Zona, which had a journalist in the courtroom, reported that Spector was sentenced to 13 years in a high -security criminal offense due to the allegations of espionage. The previous conviction for bribery was added to this punishment, which ultimately led to a total penalty of 15 years. He was also imposed on a fine of 14.116,805 rubles (approximately $ 140,500).

Former professional career

In 2020, Spector announced that bribes for Anastasia Alekseyeva, a former advisor to the former Russian Vice Prime Minister Arkady Dvorskovich, said, reported the state news agency TASS. Before these incidents, Spector was Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Medpolymerprom Group, which specializes in the development of cancer medication.

Reaction of the US authorities

In August 2023, a US official of the American Embassy in Moscow said when the spy spy was accused of assuming that the US citizen was in prison. He also emphasized that there would be no information about new charges.

This reporting was supported by CNN’s Radina Gigova, Matthew Chance and Katharina Krebs.