Army officials have confirmed that the service has stopped paying the salary of a U.S. enlisted soldier who traveled to Russia without permission before being arrested and sentenced to nearly four years in prison for theft.
Staff Sgt. Gordon Black, 34, was convicted of stealing and making threats of murder by a court in the Russian city of Vladivostok in June, and was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison.
Black was assigned to the Eighth Army at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, and was supposed to travel to an Army base in Texas in early May, when he instead flew to Russia to meet Aleksandra Vashchuk, his girlfriend. The pair were in a relationship for at least a year while she was in South Korea, according to their social media posts.
Russian state-run media reported that while Black was in Vladivostok he and Vashchuk got into an argument, during which he grabbed her by the neck and stole 10,000 rubles -- around $115 -- and spent the money on himself, including paying for the hotel room where he was staying.
Bryce Dubee, a spokesman for the Army, confirmed to Military.com in an email that the service placed Black in "CCA", or "Confined Civilian Authority," status on May 13 -- just days before he pleaded guilty and, according to Russian state-run news agencies, began cooperating with prosecutors.
Dubee noted that, when soldiers are in CCA status, they are not being paid by the Army.
The spokesman also confirmed that the Army didn't provide Black with any special military counsel.
Reuters was the first news outlet to report the development.
Black and Vashchuk had a combative and strange relationship. In videos that Vashchuk posted on social media, she would mock or verbally abuse Black, as well as occasionally call him her husband, even though the two are not married.
In fact, Black is still married to Megan Black, and the couple have a 6-year-old daughter together. Texas court records show that the pair began divorce proceedings in April 2022. In January 2023, the court ordered some of Black's pay to be garnished to support his family, according to the records.
The soldier's wife told Reuters in May that, during a video call with Black, he got into a fight with Vashchuk that ended with her assaulting and stabbing him. Black's mother, Melody Jones, also told Reuters that the two constantly fought.
Megan Black released a statement through her attorney shortly after Black's arrest in which she said that she "firmly" believed that Black's decision to travel to Russia, "while ill-advised, was motivated by entirely personal reasons involving an extramarital affair" and that he is "not involved in any form of geopolitical intrigue."
Dubee confirmed that, while Black's pay is suspended, medical benefits and base access are still being accorded to family members he had listed in his records.
Meanwhile, Russia's state-run wire service, TASS, reported that an appeal to Black's verdict will be heard on Aug. 19.
Texas court records show that there is a final hearing on the divorce set for Aug. 13.
The case parallels that of another U.S. Army soldier -- Pvt. Travis King -- who darted across the heavily guarded Demilitarized Zone in Panmunjom, South Korea, and into North Korea, where he was detained.
King was eventually released and is now facing a court-martial for those actions and other charges stemming from his behavior leading up to the incident.
Like King, Black violated Army rules by flying to Russia without permission and doing so through China. Under Pentagon policy, service members must have any international travel cleared by their commanders or security officials.
The extramarital affair is also prohibited by the Uniform Code of Military Justice, though troops don't often face adultery charges since they are difficult to prove conclusively.
It is not clear whether Black will face a similar fate when he is eventually released from Russian custody.
Military.com asked the Army whether Black will be charged and if the comparison of his case to King's was fair but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, told reporters in May that "whenever a U.S. citizen is detained abroad, consular officers seek to aid him with all appropriate assistance, and we are doing so in this case."
Related: Staff Sgt. Gordon Black Reportedly Pleads Guilty to Theft While Being Held by Russia
