A court in Russia's Far East city of Vladivostok on August 19 rejected the appeal filed by the lawyer of U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Gordon Black against his sentence of three years and nine months in a general regime penal colony on charges of theft and threat to kill.
Black, who had been on active duty in South Korea, was arrested in May in Vladivostok, where he traveled to meet a Russian woman he was romantically involved with.
Black, 34, was accused of theft and making death threats against the woman, who had filed a complaint with prosecutors.
On June 19, a Vladivostok court found him guilty and sentenced him to three years and nine months prison.
Black's lawyer said on August 19 that the regional court's decision would be appealed.
During the hearing, Black's defense argued that the first trial court had been unfair and mischaracterized his actions.
According to the court, Black had been living with Russian woman Aleksandra Vashchuk in Vladivostok since April. In May, they had a fight, during which the defendant grabbed the girl by the neck, "which she perceived as a real threat to her life."
Since he had no money, Black took 10,000 rubles ($112) from Vashchuk's wallet, which he spent on paying for a hotel room, where he was detained.
The Associated Press reported that Black was finishing his service in South Korea and was supposed to return to Texas when he instead traveled to Russia.
Black is one of several U.S. citizens held in Russia on a variety of charges.
Dual Russian-American citizen Ksenia Karelina was sentenced to 12 years in prison on August 15 after a Russian court found her guilty of treason for donating $51 to a charity supporting Ukraine.