Archive · 20 Jan 2026
US Citizen Jailed in Russia for Carrying Rifle on Yacht
A man named Charles Wayne Zimmerman from the United States went on a long trip by boat.
He started in North Carolina in July 2024 and sailed to Portugal, then through the Mediterranean and Black seas, and finally arrived in Sochi, Russia, in June 2025.
He had a rifle on his boat for self-defense but didn't know that bringing a weapon into Russia is against the law.
A Russian court found him guilty and sentenced him to five years in jail.
He said he wanted to meet a woman from Kazan, Russia, whom he had met online.
The court showed a video of the rifle and bullets that were taken from his boat.
Charles Wayne Zimmerman, a US citizen, was sentenced to five years in jail in Russia for carrying a rifle on his yacht.
He sailed from North Carolina to Sochi, Russia, to meet a woman he met online.
Zimmerman pleaded guilty but claimed he was unaware of Russian laws regarding weapons.
The rifle and Remington cartridges were seized from his yacht.
The voyage took from July 2024 to June 2025, passing through Portugal, the Mediterranean, and the Black Sea.
- Who
- Charles Wayne Zimmerman, a US citizen
- What
- Carrying a rifle on his yacht
- When
- Sentenced on January 20, 2025, after a voyage from July 2024 to June 2025
- Where
- Sochi, Russia
- Why
- To meet a Russian woman he met online, unaware of Russian laws regarding weapons
- Name
- Charles Wayne Zimmerman
- Nationality
- US Citizen
- Sentence
- 5 years in jail
- Location
- Sochi, Russia
- Weapon
- Rifle and Remington cartridges
- Reason for Travel
- To meet a Russian woman he met online
- Duration of Voyage
- July 2024 to June 2025
- Route
- North Carolina to Portugal, Mediterranean, Black Sea, Sochi
