U.S. Citizen jailed in Russia after rifle found on yacht

An American citizen was convicted by a Russian court on charges of illegally transporting weapons, the Associated Press (AP) first reported Monday.

American Charles Wayne Zimmerman was hit with a five year sentence in June while traveling in Russia’s Black Sea coast to meet with a woman he had interacted with online, the Russian regional court reported, according to the AP. Russian officials searched the yacht upon its arrival at the port city of Sochi and discovered a rifle, which Zimmerman claimed was for self-defense.

The U.S. Coast Guard first issued a missing person alert for Zimmerman in September 2024, the Moscow Times reportedon Monday. Zimmerman began his trip from Fort Macon, N.C., and was originally heading for New Zealand, the Moscow Times said.

“Zimmerman was last heard from on July 23. He had informed a family member that he would be departing in his sailing vessel en route to the Mediterranean Sea,” the Coast Guard said on Facebook following the 2024 missing person report, according to the Moscow Times.

The U.S. citizen allegedly arrived in Russia in June 2025, though his arrest was not reported for some seven months until Monday’s sentencing announcement.

Zimmerman’s arrest follows a string of high-profile imprisonments of U.S. citizens in Russia, often on charges of drug or weapon possession, or for support for Ukraine.

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