A former US marine, Paul Whelan, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison by a Russian court on spying charges.
Whelan was arrested 18 months ago with a USB flash drive which security officers say contained state secrets.
The Moscow City Court found him guilty of receiving classified information.
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Whelan has previously denied the charge and said he thought the drive contained holiday photos.
He denounced the closed trial as a “sham” ahead of the verdict.
The US ambassador to Moscow, John J Sullivan, said the conviction would harm Russia-US relations.
Paul Whelan joined the US Marine Reserves in 1994, about six years after he had reportedly begun work as a police officer in Michigan.
