A Moscow court recently sentenced a former employee of the Foreign Ministry, who had previously served at one of Russia’s consulates in the United States, to 12 years in prison for transmitting information to U.S. intelligence.

The Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia announced that Arseniy Konovalov was detained in March 2024 on allegations of sharing classified material with American intelligence officials in return for financial compensation during his tenure at the Russian Consulate General in Houston from 2014 to 2017.

The FSB did not reveal the specific details of the information Konovalov purportedly disclosed or the timing of the alleged interactions. Anonymous sources in Russian media suggested that he may have been recruited by the CIA.

On Friday, state media aired footage from the FSB showing Konovalov’s arrest in 2024 and his subsequent court appearances. Prior to this, Russian law enforcement had not informed the public about his arrest or the charges he faced.

The Moscow City Court convicted Konovalov of treason and sentenced him to 12 years in a high-security penal facility, as reported by the FSB. He was also ordered to pay a fine of 100,000 rubles (approximately $1,200).