An American soldier detained in Russia accused of robbery and threatening to kill his girlfriend was found guilty Wednesday and sentenced to three years and nine months in a Russian penal colony.
Gordon Black, 34, is a sergeant arrested on May 2 in Vladivostok, in Russia’s Far East.
On Monday he pleaded not guilty to charges of threatening to kill his girlfriend, but admitted he was “partially” guilty of robbing her.
Black’s defense lawyer will appeal the verdict, a Russian news agency reported, adding that the judge handed down the sentence of “three years and nine months in prison” on both charges.
The agency said prosecutors had asked for a prison sentence of four years and eight months, while the defense asked that Black be acquitted of all charges.
An American soldier detained in Russia accused of robbery and threatening to kill his girlfriend was found guilty Wednesday and sentenced to three years and nine months in a Russian penal colony.
Black “partially” admitted guilt to the charge of stealing 10,000 rubles ($113) from his girlfriend Alexandra Vashchuk’s purse, but said there was “no intention,” RIA reported.
The couple had met in South Korea, where Black was stationed.
The Pentagon has said he violated military rules by traveling to Russia without authorization after passing through China.
Black has a wife and son in Texas. His wife Megan told Reuters last month that he and Vashchuk had a tempestuous relationship.
Black, 35, had reportedly just finished his service in South Korea and traveled to Russia without permission.
But his mother, Melody Jones, has refuted this narrative and claims her son was “set up,” claiming his girlfriend asked him to wire her $600 before his arrest.
“He was trying to ask us for money,” he said. Fox. “She wanted me to create another account and send her money,” and agreed that the request was a “red flag.”
He reiterated previous comments about feeling uneasy about his son’s plans to visit his girlfriend.
“I told him I had a bad feeling about him leaving,” he added. ‘I was more worried than when he was in Iraq for some reason.
We’re on pins and needles. We are, you know, very tired, of course, worried. I just wish I could hear his voice.
He added that the girlfriend has not been in touch since, but has been active on TikTok posting videos of him.
Black was questioned for nine hours upon arrival at a Russian airport, Jones said, adding that he did not know if his son had a visa to visit Russia.
Jones said Black met his girlfriend at a club in South Korea more than a year ago and they had a “volatile” relationship.
Black had reportedly claimed that his girlfriend was deported from South Korea after they were involved in a dispute in the fall of 2023.
Photos posted on social media showed them together in January and before.
Russian reports say that two weeks after arriving in Vladivostok, the US Army sergeant “beat his beloved and stole 200,000 rubles from her.”
The court did not bring any charges of violence against him.
The pro-Kremlin news outlet BAZA, with ties to law enforcement, said Gordon arrived in Russia in mid-April.
“About two weeks later they got into a fight and, according to (Aleksa), Gordon hit her.” they said. “After that, she stole 200,000 rubles and alcohol from him.”
The court ordered his preventive detention until July 2 on a charge that could lead to five years in prison.
Black was supposed to move from South Korea to Fort Cavazos in Texas.
The Russian Foreign Ministry office in Vladivostok has said Black’s arrest is not political or related to espionage.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the United States is aware of the cause but could not say much more at this time.
Army spokeswoman Cynthia O. Smith said: ‘The Russian Federation notified the US State Department of the criminal detention in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.
‘The Army has notified his family and the US State Department is providing appropriate consular support to the soldier in Russia. “Given the sensitivity of this matter, we are unable to provide additional details at this time.”
Black is now one of several American citizens currently imprisoned in Russia.
Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich has been detained in Russia since last March.
Meanwhile, former Marine Paul Whelan has been imprisoned since 2018; He is sentenced to 16 years in prison after being found guilty of espionage.
Both are unjustly detained, according to the US government.
Additionally, Russian-American dancer Ksenia Karelina has been imprisoned in Russia since January for donating $51 to a Ukrainian charity.
She was charged with treason and faces up to 20 years in prison for making a small donation to the humanitarian organization Razom on the day Russia invaded Ukraine.
The payment was discovered after his phone was confiscated when he flew into Yekaterinburg’s Koltsovo airport on January 2, planning to visit his 90-year-old grandparents in time for Christmas Day in Russia.
The US government has warned US citizens not to travel to Russia.
