Was traveling in Black Sea to meet woman with whom he interacted online<\/b>
\nAn American citizen was convicted by a Russian court on charges of illegally transporting weapons, the Associated Press first reported Monday.
American Charles Wayne Zimmerman was hit with a five-year sentence while traveling in Russia\u2019s Black Sea coast in June 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 reported on Monday. Zimmerman began his trip from Fort Macon, N.C., and was originally heading for New Zealand, the Moscow Times said.
\u201cZimmerman 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,\u201d 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\u2019s sentencing announcement.
Zimmerman\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n