Anika Begay
(Reuters) – A U.S. soldier sentenced in June to nearly four years in a Russian penal colony after being convicted of stealing $113 from his girlfriend and threatening to kill her lost an appeal against the verdict on Monday, the RIA news agency reported.
Gordon Black, a 34-year-old U.S. Sergeant Major, was arrested on May 2 in the Russian Far East city of Vladivostok after an argument with his girlfriend, Alexandra Vashchuk, whom he met in South Korea.
He pleaded not guilty to threatening to kill Vashchuk, but admitted he was partially guilty of taking the money, albeit out of necessity.
Black’s defense argued in its appeal that the original verdict was illegal and unfair and asked for a new trial, RIA reported.
According to Black’s defense attorney, the verdict was not based on the case materials, ignored evidence confirming Black’s innocence and misinterpreted his actions toward the victim, RIA reported.
However, Judge Irina Balashova of the Primorsky Regional Court in Russia’s Far East rejected his appeal. “Leave the verdict unchanged and reject the appeal,” Balashova said, according to RIA.
Black is among a group of Americans detained in Russia on a variety of charges. Last week, Russian-American citizen Ksenia Karelina was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Thursday after a Russian court found her guilty of treason for donating $51.07 to a charity supporting Ukraine.
