American citizen accused of espionage gets 15 years in Russian prison

[Craig Nigrelli]

A RUSSIAN BORN AMERICAN CITIZEN, SERVING PRISON TIME FOR BRIBERY IN THE COMMUNIST COUNTRY, WILL NOW HAVE TO DO EVEN MORE TIME IN A RUSSIAN PRISON, FOR ESPIONAGE.
GENE SPECTOR, A FORMER EXECUTIVE AT A MEDICAL EQUIPMENT COMPANY IN RUSSIA, RECEIVED A COMBINED 15-YEAR TERM, ACCORDING TO RUSSIAN NEWS AGENCIES.
RUSSIAN PROSECUTORS LODGED ESPIONAGE CHARGES AGAINST SPECTOR BACK IN AUGUST OF LAST YEAR. THEY DID NOT MAKE PUBLIC THE DETAILS SURROUNDING THE CASE.
PREVIOUSLY, A RUSSIAN COURT SENTENCED SPECTOR TO THREE-AND-A-HALF YEARS IN PRISON FOR ENABLING BRIBES TO A MAN NAMED ANASTSIA ALEKSEYEVA, THAT ENTAILED ALEKSEYEVA RECEIVING EXPENSIVE VACATIONS.
SPECTOR PLEADED GUILTY IN THE BRIBERY CASE, ADMITTING TO ACTING AS AN INTERMEDIARY.
ALEKSEYEVA WAS AN AIDE TO FORMER RUSSIAN DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER ARKADY DVORKOVICH AND IS SERVING A 12-YEAR PRISON TERM.
DVORKOVICH IS THE NOW THE PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL CHESS FEDERATION.
AS FOR SPECTOR, HE WAS THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF A COMPANY THAT SPECIALIZED IN CANCER DRUGS. THE U.S. EMBASSY IN MOSCOW TOLD CNN THEY BELIEVED THAT HE WAS ALREADY IN JAIL AND THE EMBASSY HAD NO NEW INFORMATION ON THE ESPIONAGE CHARGE.
RUSSIAN MEDIA OUTLETS ARE REPORTING THAT SPECTOR WILL SERVE HIS PRISON TIME AT A MAXIMUM SECURITY PENAL COLONY.
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