Russia court rejects U.S. soldier Gordon Black's appeal of prison sentence

Moscow — A Russian court on Monday rejected an appeal by a U.S. soldier who has been jailed for three years and nine months for alleged death threats and theft. Gordon Black was sentenced in June by a court in Russia's Far Eastern city of Vladivostok, where he was arrested in May while visiting a Russian woman he met and dated while serving in South Korea.

The 34-year-old was detained after the woman, named by Russian media as Alexandra Vashuk, reported him to the police after an argument, saying he physically attacked her and stole some 10,000 rubles (100 euros) from her.

Black pleaded "partially guilty" to theft and not guilty to threatening to kill Vashuk, saying she had started an argument after drinking.