(ConservativeHub.com) – Russian news agencies have stated that Gene Spector, a U.S. citizen born in Russia, is going to be dealing with espionage charges. Previously, the man was convicted and given a 3 1/2-year sentence after he pleaded guilty in 2021 to bribery charges. At the time, Spector had been charged with being the middleman and accepting a bribe to secure a luxury vacation for a Russian deputy prime minister aide.
If Spector is convicted on espionage charges, then he could be sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison. Currently, there are no further details about the charges that The Medpolymerprom Group chairman is facing.
For the past few years, the two main cases that the U.S. diplomatic efforts have been focused on relate to Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan, both of whom were detained in Russia. Gershkovich was arrested in March on espionage charges and he is currently in detainment. However, U.S. officials have criticized these charges arguing that Gershkovich had been acting as a journalist and that journalism was not illegal. In April following his arrest, the State Department issued a statement slamming the Kremlin for being at war with the truth and for attempting to repress many independent voices.
Whelan is currently serving a 16-year sentence on what he has claimed as fraudulent espionage charges.
The State Department has also issued a warning against U.S. citizens traveling to Russia because of the intense relations between Russia and the U.S. and the recent invasion of Ukraine.
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