United States: According to Russian state affiliated news agencies, an American citizen Eugene Spector has been convicted and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment by a Russian court on a charge of espionage in a closed trial.
Background of the Case
Spector, who was born and brought up in Russia but later moved to the United States, was arrested last August on espionage charges and has already served 3-1/2 years imprisonment in Russia on bribery charges, as reported by Reuters.
The specifics of the espionage case against him have not been reported by the state media.
Unreported Espionage Details
The TASS state news agency claimed that Spector had been convicted of espionage and received a 13-year jail term, which was supplementary to the bribery that he was already condemned for.
US Citizen Sentenced to 15 Years in Russia for Espionage and Bribery https://t.co/mPsfeGgFei
— The Shadow Group (@GarryYamato) December 24, 2024
The presiding judge has determined that he should now be serving an overall fifteen-year sentence in a maximum security penal colony for both cases, TASS reported.
Bribery Charges
Prior to his arrest in May 2021, Spector was heading the Medpolymerprom Group company which deals in cancer-curing drugs, according to the state media, as reported by Reuters.
In his first trial, Spector admitted to facilitating the bribery of an assistant to a former Russian deputy prime minister.