He is the most recent U.S. citizen to be held in Russia.
The 34-year-old was detained after the girl, named by Russian media as Alexandra Vashuk, reported him to the police after an argument.
Russian media on Monday quoted Black as saying he was “partially responsible” of theft however that it was not premeditated, and that he was “not responsible” of allegedly threatening Vashuk with homicide. CBS News has not been in a position to acquire contact particulars for any legal professionals representing Black in Russia, and it’s not doable to confirm data reported by Russian state media.
Russia’s state-run information shops had stated beforehand, in mid-May, that Black had entered a responsible plea to theft prices and was cooperating with investigators within the case.
Vashuk had accused Black of allegedly stealing some 10,000 rubles (100 euros) from her and stated he had bodily attacked her.
Gordon Black through Facebook through Reuters
Black stated she had began an argument after consuming. He stated the pair met in October 2022 on the courting app Tinder in South Korea and had dated there, earlier than Vashuk then invited him to come back to Vladivostok.
He stated he didn’t plan to take the cash and meant to present it again, saying he took it as a result of he couldn’t entry his cash in Russia, as it’s held in a U.S. financial institution.
Black was detained in Vladivostok on May 2 and been held in pre-trial detention since then. He was stationed in South Korea, Pentagon officers instructed CBS News, and was within the course of of fixing obligation stations to Fort Cavazos, previously often known as Fort Hood, within the U.S. when he went to Russia on unofficial journey.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby instructed reporters in early May that the U.S. was “conscious of this case,” however that he could not “say a lot about it proper now.”
The prices towards the American soldier carry as much as 5 years in jail.
Black has been stored in pre-trial detention since his arrest in May. Unlike U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich, who’s dealing with trial on espionage prices in Russia, the U.S. authorities has not declared Black to be wrongfully detained by Russian authorities.
A court docket within the Russian metropolis of Yekaterinburg introduced Monday that Gershkovich’s trial would start on June 26 — behind closed doorways, as is typical of espionage circumstances in Russia. His household, his employer The Wall Street Journal, and the Biden administration have all dismissed the costs towards him as baseless.
U.S. Marine veteran Paul Whelan can also be imprisoned in Russia, the place he has remained behind bars since his arrest 5 years in the past. He additionally stands accused of espionage, allegations the U.S. authorities and his household have rejected repeatedly as baseless.
