Russian Lawmaker Says His Son Innocent Of Hacking Charges

Russian lawmaker Valery Seleznyov says his son is being kept in "very difficult" prison conditions but that he is in "high spirits."

A Russian lawmaker whose son was arrested by the United States this week on hacking charges says he is innocent.

Valery Seleznyov told reporters on July 11 that his son, Roman Seleznyov, was left brain-damaged after a 2011 bombing in Morocco and will die without his medication.

Roman Seleznyov, 30, was arrested on July 5 in the Maldives by the U.S. Secret Service and transported to Guam.

He is accused of hacking U.S. retail computer systems to steal credit-card numbers.

Valery Seleznyov said his son was being kept in "very difficult" prison conditions but that he was in "high spirits."

Seleznyov was indicted in March 2011 on charges including bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Seleznyov's father said his son is neither mentally nor physically able to engage in intricate hacking schemes.

The charges, however, date to before he was injured.

Based on reporting by AP and Interfax