American Ex-Marine Sentenced to Additional 8 Years for Assaulting Prison Guards in Russia

An American man incarcerated in Russia for assaulting a police officer has received an additional eight-year prison sentence for attacking guards at his detention facility, as reported by Russian media on Wednesday.

Robert Gilman, a former U.S. Marine and English educator, was initially sentenced to two years in prison in October 2022 after being convicted of attacking a police officer while intoxicated.

On Wednesday, a judge from the Central District Court in Voronezh issued an extra eight-year sentence due to an incident in May, where he allegedly assaulted a guard at the correctional facility where he is currently serving his sentence.

During the proceedings, Gilman reportedly admitted guilt and expressed regret for his behavior, stating that he had reacted violently towards the prison guards in hopes of staying at the Voronezh pre-trial detention center, which he claimed offered better living conditions and the ability to receive correspondence and packages from his family.

His attorney informed state media that Gilman does not intend to challenge the verdict.

As reported by the Kommersant business newspaper and state outlets, Gilman is also facing further charges linked to a separate alleged assault on a prison guard. The Central District Court is set to address this matter on December 25, according to the state news agency TASS.

Gilman is one of nine American nationals imprisoned in Russia, for whom the Trump administration has been advocating for their release, as noted by Reuters earlier this year.

In November, Kirill Dmitriev, an economic envoy from President Vladimir Putin, mentioned that he had discussed a possible prisoner exchange between Russia and the U.S. during a meeting with White House officials the previous month.