In a ruling announced on Tuesday, a Russian court has sentenced Gene Spector, a US citizen, to 15 years in a strict-regime penal colony on charges of espionage, according to Russian state media. This development continues a trend of Moscow detaining and prosecuting American citizens and dual nationals in recent years, with several cases ending in prisoner exchanges.
Spector, born Yevgeny Mironovich in 1972 in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg), was accused of espionage, although specific details of the charges remain undisclosed. The trial was held behind closed doors due to its classified nature, with only the sentencing made public.
State news agency RIA Novosti released a photograph of Spector, wearing glasses and a dark jacket, in the defendant’s cage.
Spector’s legal troubles in Russia date back to 2020 when he was detained and subsequently sentenced in 2021 to four years in prison for acting as an intermediary in a bribery case involving luxury vacations provided to an aide of former Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich. After pleading guilty, his sentence was reduced by six months following a retrial.
A naturalized American citizen, Spector lived in Saint Petersburg with his family and served as the general director of the Medpolimerprom company group before his legal troubles began.
This case follows the conviction of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was accused of espionage earlier this year. Gershkovich’s imprisonment drew international attention, but he was released after a month in custody.
The sentencing of Spector underscores ongoing tensions between the United States and Russia, with the detentions often viewed as geopolitical leverage in a fraught international landscape.
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