A Russian court has sentenced an American man accused of illegally transporting weapons to five years in prison, court officials announced, months after the verdict was handed down.
Chuck Zimmerman (58) was convicted in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi after his rifle and ammunition were found on his sailboat in June, the press service of the Krasnodar regional court announced, the Russian English-language newspaper "Moscow Times" reported.
A website launched in support of Zimmerman describes him as an electrician, father of two and former member of the US Navy.
His family has dismissed the charges against him as a "set-up" for a future Russia-US prisoner exchange.
Court records seen by The Associated Press showed that Zimmerman was convicted in October, and the Sochi court's verdict was upheld by the Krasnodar regional court two months later.
Zimmerman told the court that he traveled to Russia to meet his wife, whom he had previously contacted online, and that he had a weapon for self-defense, unaware of Russian laws, the court's press service said in a statement. He fully admitted his guilt, the statement said.
Zimmerman's sister, Robin Stulz, said her brother was intercepted while sailing in international waters "with absolutely no intention of entering Russia."
"He was sailing around the world, from the US all the way to New Zealand, so of course he had firearms on board," she told the AP, explaining that this was because "if something goes wrong while you're at sea, you can't just phone the police to help you."
"He voluntarily revealed to them that he had weapons, and they accused him of smuggling them. It's a clear setup to get another American to trade (with the US). He must be declared wrongfully imprisoned," Stulz said.
She added: "I wouldn't believe any of the 'confessions' the Russians claim he made, and he hasn't been able to meet with anyone from the US embassy since his arrest."
There has been no comment from American officials so far.
Zimmerman is one of the few Americans in Russian custody after a series of prisoner exchanges with the United States in recent years. But the arrests of Americans in Russia and subsequent prisoner exchanges have become more frequent as relations between Moscow and Washington have sunk to their lowest point since the Cold War.
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