August 4, 2022
After pleading guilty to drug possession, a judge has handed down a nine-year six-mo th sentence to basketball player Brittney Griner. The prosecutor requested the sentence which will be served in the Russian prison colony. Defense attorneys had asked for leniency in this case given the player's actions were not intentionally criminal. The maximum sentence in this case was ten years.
Negotiations are currently underway to swap prisoners between the United States and Russia. Russia wishes to receive Viktor Bout in exchange for Griner and Paul Whelan. Bout is a Russian arms dealer that smuggled weapons for years before his arrest in a sting operation in Bangkok, Thailand. He is currently serving out his 25 year sentence in a U.S. Penitentiary after being convicted in 2011. Paul Whelan is a U.S. citizen convicted of espionage by a Russian court after he was arrested in Moscow in 2018. He was sentenced to 16 years in a Russian prison and maintains his innocence to this day.
The attorney for Bout, Steve Zissou, reported to CNN that he was "confident" the swap would take place. There have been unconfirmed reports that Russian also wishes to add Vadim Krasikov, a Russian Colonel, to the swap in exchange for Griner and Whelan.
The public has been showing their support for the two-time Olympic gold medalist including an official statement by the WNBA/NBA and the Phoenix Mercury.
Comments