Russian court sentences US citizen to 15 days in prison for attacking police officer

A US citizen has been sentenced to 15 days in a Russian prison on charges of “petty hooliganism” for attacking a police officer, according to Moscow court officials.

The American man, identified as Joseph Tater, was on Wednesday given an “administrative penalty in the form of administrative arrest for a period of 15 days” by the Meshchansky Court of Moscow, according to a post on the official Telegram channel of the Moscow City Courts of General Jurisdiction.

Tater was found guilty of disorderly conduct, Russian state media TASS reported, following previous reports of police detaining a foreigner who violated public order while staying at a hotel in Moscow.

“He behaved aggressively, swore, and used foul language,” TASS quoted the court’s press service as saying, adding that Tater had “hit a [female] police officer” during detention.

Tater is also facing a criminal case for using violence against a government official, TASS said, adding that the American could face imprisonment for up to five years.

The US embassy in Moscow was aware of the arrest of a US citizen identified as Joseph Tater but declined further comment due to privacy concerns, embassy spokesperson John Fer told CNN on Thursday.

The US State Department said Wednesday it was aware of the reports about Tater.

“I don’t have specifics given privacy concerns,” State spokesperson Vedant Patel said. “We’re working to get as much information as we can, working to ascertain the consular situation, and see if consular access is available,” he said, without giving further details.

There are several American citizens serving sentences in Russia on drug or theft convictions, including Marc Fogel, who was convicted in 2022 for illegal possession of cannabis.

Fogel, who worked in Moscow as a teacher, was arrested on drug charges in 2021 after entering the country with cannabis. He was sentenced to 14 years at a hard labor camp in Russia.

His family and lawyer have said a doctor had recommend cannabis to him to treat “severe spinal pain.”

Fogel was not included in the largest prisoner exchange between Russia and the West since the end of the Cold War, which happened earlier this month.

Twenty-four detainees were freed in the historic swap, which included Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former US Marine Paul Whelan and Russian American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva. Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian opposition politician and one of President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest critics, was also freed.

Separately, TASS reported that Russian-US dual national Ksenia Karelina pleaded guilty in a Russian court to treason charges, after being arrested for donating $51.80 to a charity that provides humanitarian aid to people affected by the war in Ukraine.

Karelina, 33, was detained in Yekaterinburg in February while visiting her grandparents.