Moscow City Court on Tuesday, December 24, sentenced U.S. citizen Gene Spector to 15 years in a strict-regime penal colony on charges of espionage, according to Russian state news agencies. The trial proceedings were largely held behind closed doors due to the sensitive nature of the case, with only the sentencing made public. Details of the accusations against Spector have not been disclosed.
Series of high-profile detentions and convictions of U.S. citizens
The case is the latest in a series of high-profile detentions and convictions of U.S. citizens and dual nationals by Russian authorities. Several of these individuals have been released as part of prisoner exchanges. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, for instance, was convicted of espionage earlier this year and subsequently freed in August.
Gene Spector appears in court
The state news agency RIA Novosti reported that the 51-year-old defendant, named as Gene Spector, appeared in court wearing glasses and a dark jacket. The sentence takes into account an earlier conviction for bribery, for which he had already served time.
Spector, born Yevgeny Mironovich in 1972 in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg), had previously been sentenced to four years in prison in 2021 after pleading guilty to acting as an intermediary in a bribery case. That case involved arranging luxury holidays for an assistant to former Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich. His original sentence was later reduced by six months following a retrial.
Who is Gene Spector?
According to TASS state news agency, Spector was born and raised in Russia before emigrating to the United States, where he became a U.S. citizen. He returned to Russia, residing in Saint Petersburg with his family, and served as the general director of the Medpolimerprom company group.
Spector was detained in 2020, marking the beginning of a complex legal saga that culminated in Tuesday’s sentencing. While the espionage charges remain shrouded in secrecy, the case underscores escalating tensions and a pattern of legal action against foreign nationals in Russia.
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