Russian Court Slaps 15-Year Espionage Sentence on U.S. Citizen

U.S. citizen Eugene Spector has been sentenced by a Russian court to 15 years for espionage. Already serving a sentence for bribery, Spector, originally from Russia, was charged in August last year. Before his arrest, he led a pharmaceutical company specializing in cancer treatment drugs.

A Russian court has handed a 15-year jail sentence to U.S. citizen Eugene Spector on charges of espionage, according to a report by Russia's RIA state news agency. Spector is currently already serving a 3-1/2-year sentence for bribery in Russia.

Spector, born in Russia before moving to the United States, was charged with espionage last August. Prior to his espionage arrest, he was the chairman of the board of Medpolymerprom Group, a company known for its focus on developing cancer-curing drugs.

In his initial court proceedings, Spector admitted to assisting in the bribery of an assistant to a former Russian deputy prime minister.

(With inputs from agencies.)