Russian court sentences US soldier to nearly 4 years on theft charges

MOSCOW (AP) — A court in Russia’s far eastern city of Vladivostok has sentenced an American soldier arrested earlier this year to three years and nine months in prison on charges of stealing and threats of murder. Russian state news agencies Tass and RIA Novosti reported Wednesday from the courtroom in the Pervomaisky District Court in Vladivostok that the judge also ordered Staff Sgt. Gordon Black to pay $115 in damages. The 34-year-old Black flew to the Pacific port city of Vladivostok to see his girlfriend and was arrested after she accused him of stealing from her, according to U.S. officials and Russian authorities. Black’s sentencing further complicates U.S. relations with Russia, which have grown increasingly tense as the fighting in Ukraine continues.