US soldier sentenced to nearly 4 years in Russian penal colony for theft

A Russian court has sentenced an American soldier to almost four years in prison after he was convicted of theft.

Army Staff Sgt. Gordon Black, 34, was arrested in Vladivostok, eastern Russia, early last month and charged with theft after allegedly stealing about $100 from a woman he was visiting. Black allegedly said he needed money to pay for food and a hotel, but he paid it back the next day.

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Army spokeswoman Cynthia O. Smith informed Scripps News that Black was recently stationed in South Korea and was scheduled to return home to Cavazos, Texas, during his permanent change of station leave. However, instead of returning to the United States, Smith said Black traveled through China to Russia for “personal reasons.”

Smith added that Black did not receive permission from the military to travel to China or Russia and that travel to both countries was currently restricted under the Department of Defense's Foreign Authorization Guide. Defense. Smith said the Army informed Black's family of his arrest shortly after Russian officials notified the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.

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