A Moscow court has sentenced American citizen Joseph Tater to 15 days in prison on charges of hooliganism following his arrest on Monday.
According to Russia's Investigative Committee, Mr Tater was arrested after allegedly assaulting a police officer and refusing to produce an identity card.
“The suspect refused to present his ID card and then used violence against a law enforcement officer”the committee said in a statement.
The arrest comes amid ongoing concerns about the status of other Western nationals in Russian prisons.
Mr Tater's arrest follows a high-profile prisoner swap earlier this month between Russia and several Western countries, which included the release of American journalists Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva, as well as former US Marine Paul Whelan.
A number of American citizens and from other Western countries are in Russian prisons on various charges. The US State Department is closely monitoring the situation.
“We are aware of reports of the arrest of another American citizen in Russia and are working to obtain as much information as we can, including consular access.”State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said Wednesday. “I don't have specific data due to privacy concerns, but we are working to get as much information as possible.”
Mr. Tater's arrest and subsequent conviction have sparked renewed attention to American and other Western nationals detained in Russia.
Some data for this story was obtained from Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
