Russia has extended the prison sentence of U.S. citizen Robert Gilman to 10 years after he was found guilty of assaulting prison staff, highlighting ongoing legal troubles since his arrest in 2022.
Russia has once again increased the prison sentence of U.S. citizen Robert Gilman, a former Marine, after a regional court found him guilty of assaulting prison staff. This ruling adds two years to his existing sentence, bringing the total to 10 years, according to reports from Reuters.
The latest extension occurred in the Voronezh region, where Gilman is currently serving his time. Prosecutors accused him of attacking two prison guards, and the court determined that this incident constituted a new offense that warranted additional punishment.
This development follows a troubling pattern of escalating charges against Gilman since his initial arrest in January 2022. His legal troubles began when passengers on a train reported him for being intoxicated and causing a disturbance. Transport police intervened, removing him from the train in Voronezh, where he was detained for petty hooliganism.
At the time of his arrest, Russian media reported that Gilman, who was traveling between Sochi and Moscow to replace a damaged passport, appeared heavily intoxicated. He later claimed in court that he believed his drink had been spiked.
Initially, Gilman was convicted in 2022 for assaulting a police officer, receiving a sentence of three and a half years. Prosecutors had recommended a longer sentence of four and a half years, given the circumstances of the case.
Reports indicate that Gilman bruised a Russian police officer with a kick while being forcibly removed from the train. His troubles escalated further in 2024 when he was found guilty of multiple assaults, including attacking a prison inspector during a cell check and beating another guard. These convictions resulted in a sentence of eight years and one month, which was compounded by the recent court decision.
Local media, including the business newspaper Kommersant, reported that Gilman admitted to some of the assaults. He stated that he began breaking prison rules after he was threatened with a transfer from his current detention facility, which he described as humane and where he could receive packages from relatives, to a maximum-security penal colony.
During the court proceedings on Wednesday, Gilman expressed remorse and explained his preference to remain in the Voronezh facility rather than face harsher conditions elsewhere. His lawyer, Irina Brazhnikova, informed the state-run TASS news agency that Gilman would not appeal the latest verdict.
Gilman is among at least nine Americans currently imprisoned in Russia, despite several high-profile prisoner exchanges that occurred in 2024 and 2025. Many of these individuals, like Gilman, have military backgrounds, including Michael Travis Leake and Gordon Black.
Supporters of Gilman in the United States argue that he was in poor health when he was first detained and contend that he was provoked into actions that led to the additional charges against him.
Source: Original article