A Moscow City Court has sentenced a US citizen, Gene Spector, to 15 years in a strict-regime penal colony on charges of espionage. The court ruling, delivered on Tuesday, considers Spector’s previous four-year sentence for bribery, for which he was detained in 2020.
Spector, whose Russian name is Yevgeny Mironovich, was born in Leningrad in 1972 and later emigrated to the United States, where he became a citizen. Before his detention, he served as the general director of Medpolimerprom, a Russian company group. His initial bribery conviction involved facilitating luxury trips for an aide to a former deputy prime minister.
The espionage charges remain shrouded in secrecy, with no specific details released due to the classified nature of the trial. Proceedings were held behind closed doors, except for the sentencing. Russian state news agencies released a photograph showing Spector in court, dressed in a dark jacket and glasses.
This case adds to the growing list of US citizens detained or sentenced in Russia in recent years. High-profile incidents include Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was convicted of espionage earlier this year and later freed in a prisoner exchange.
