Russia has charged a jailed American citizen with espionage, state news agencies reported, upping the pressure on U.S. President Joe Biden's administration which has been trying to find a way to bring several detained citizens back home from Russia.
Russia's RIA and TASS news agencies said that Moscow's Lefortovo court had remanded Gene Spector in pre-trial custody on suspicion of espionage, which is punishable with a jail term of 10 to 20 years.
"The court granted the request of the investigation to detain a U.S. citizen Spector on charges under Article 276 (espionage) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation," TASS quoted an unidentified source at the court as saying.
The news agencies did not report any details of the new charges, but said the court session was held behind closed doors as the case materials were classified.
Spector is already serving a 3-1/2-year sentence after pleading guilty to his role in bribing an assistant of ex-Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, according to the news agencies.
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