VLADIVOSTOK, November 12. /TASS/. US military officer Gordon Black has been transferred from Vladivostok to Russia’s Far East to serve his prison sentence, Chairman of the local Public Observation Commission Vladimir Naidin told TASS.

"At present, Black has been sent to Russia’s Far East because he was sentenced to imprisonment in a general regime colony, which is not available in the Primorsky Region," Naidin said.

On June 19, a court in the Pervomaisky district of Vladivostok found US citizen Gordon Black guilty of crimes under Part 1 of Article 119 of the Criminal Code (threat of murder, if there were grounds to fear that the threat would be carried out) and paragraph "c" of Part 2 of Article 158 of the Criminal Code (theft resulting in significant damage to a citizen). He was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison to be served in a general regime colony. Black's defense filed an appeal against the sentence, but the Primorsky regional court dismissed it on August 19.

The regional Ministry of Internal Affairs previously reported that US sergeant Black had served in South Korea. After his service ended, he went to Vladivostok to visit a Russian woman with whom he allegedly had a romantic relationship. Later, the couple had a quarrel, after which the woman filed a police report accusing him of theft in the Primorsky Region.