Russia jails U.S. citizen for five years after he carried rifle on yacht
MOSCOW, January 20 (Reuters) – A Russian court sentenced a U.S. citizen to five years in prison for crossing the border with a gun while on his way from the United States to meet a Russian woman he met online, Russia’s court agency said.
In Monday’s statement, it was stated that the man, identified as Charles Wayne Zimmerman, pleaded guilty but told the court that the gun was hidden on his yacht for self-defense and that he was unaware of Russian laws.
The Russian prison brought an end to the long journey of Zimmerman, who sailed from North Carolina to Portugal in July 2024, then via the Mediterranean and Black Sea, reaching the southern port of Sochi in June 2025.
“Zimmerman told the court that he met a woman from Kazan online and decided to meet her on his yacht,” the court agency said, referring to the southern city. he added.
“When setting out, he did not bother to study the laws of the Russian Federation and believed that weapons stored on his yacht for self-defense should remain on board at all times.”
The man found guilty was sentenced to five years in prison by a court in Sochi, Krasnodar region, the service said.
A video was released showing the rifle and Remington cartridges seized from the yacht where Zimmerman was sitting with a bottle of water.
Reuters could not reach Zimmerman for comment.
(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
