A U.S. Navy veteran is now detained in Russia after a court sentenced him to five years in prison, a case raising serious concerns about Moscow’s treatment of American citizens abroad. Russian authorities claim the conviction stems from a weapons violation, while family members dispute the circumstances surrounding his arrest.
The Krasnodar Krai court system identified the veteran as 58-year-old Charles Wayne Zimmerman, an American sailor and former Navy servicemember. Authorities said Zimmerman docked his yacht in Sochi on June 19, 2025, where border officials accused him of failing to declare a firearm onboard. Russian officials alleged a later inspection uncovered weapons and ammunition purchased before entering the country.
Court officials stated that “the defendant pleaded guilty in full,” and records show Zimmerman was convicted in October, with the verdict upheld by the Krasnodar Regional Court two months later, according to the Associated Press. Russian authorities said Zimmerman sailed to Russia voluntarily and failed to research local laws, adding that “ignorance of the law does not exempt from liability.”
Zimmerman’s sister, Robin Stultz, sharply disputed that account. She said her brother was “sailing in international waters when he was intercepted by the Russian Navy and forced to motor 22 hours to Sochi.” Stultz told the AP that Zimmerman disclosed the firearm and accused Russian authorities of staging an arrest. “This is an obvious set-up to get another American they can trade,” she said, adding, “I wouldn’t trust any ‘confession’ the Russians claim he’s given.”
The U.S. Coast Guard had issued a missing person alert for Zimmerman in September 2024 after he departed North Carolina aboard his yacht, the Trude Zena. U.S. officials have repeatedly accused Russia of detaining Americans to use as leverage in international negotiations.
