Moscow City Court on Tuesday sentenced former business executive Gene Spector to "15 years to be served in a strict-regime penal colony" over alleged spying charges, the details of which are largely unknown, APA reports citing DW.
Russia has handed down hefty prison sentences to several US citizens and dual-nationals in recent years, with Washington accusing Moscow of "hostage diplomacy."
US citizen Spector was already serving a three-and-a-half-year sentence in Russia for bribery and was arrested and charged with espionage last August.
Details of the spying accusations have not been made public by Russia's state media.
According to the TASS news agency, Spector was given a 13-year jail sentence over the espionage charges — to be added to his sentence.
TASS said the presiding judge had decided he should now serve a combined sentence of 15 years in a maximum security penal colony.
Except for the sentencing, the trial took place behind closed doors because of its purportedly secret nature.
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