Brittney Griner

MOSCOW (AP) — American basketball star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty Thursday to drug possession charges on the second day of her trial in a Russian court ...

But the wide discrepancy between Griner’s alleged offense and Bout’s global dealings in deadly weapons could make such a trade unpalatable to Washington. We urge you to make a deal to get Brittney back home swiftly.” One of America’s most prominent Black activists, he urged Biden to arrange a prayer meeting with Griner. They spoke after Biden read a letter from Griner in which she said she feared she’d never return home. “We of course hope for the leniency of the court,” Blagovolina said. She also held a photo of her wife, Cherelle. Russian media have speculated repeatedly that Griner could be swapped for Russian arms trader Viktor Bout, nicknamed “the Merchant of Death,” who is serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S. on conviction of conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens and providing aid to a terrorist organization. “I would like again to emphasize the commitment of the U.S. government at the very highest level to bring home safely Ms. Griner and all U.S. citizens wrongfully detained as well as the commitment of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to care for and protect the interests of all U.S. citizens detained or imprisoned in Russia,” Rood said. The trial was then adjourned until July 14. Griner’s other lawyer, Alexander Boikov, said she admitted that the canister “was hers, but she said that it was unintentionally brought to to Russia, because she was in in a hurry as she was packing and it was just by accident it ended up in her luggage.” Elizabeth Rood, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, told reporters after the hearing that she spoke to Griner in the courtroom and shared with her a letter from President Joe Biden that she read. Griner was escorted to the courtroom in handcuffs and clad in a bright red T-shirt with the name “Crenshaw” and sweat pants.

La estrella detenida de la WNBA, Brittney Griner, se declaró culpable de cargos de drogas en un tribunal ruso que podrían resultar en una sentencia de 10 ...

Al declararse culpable durante el juicio, dijo una fuente familiarizada con la estrategia, Griner quita eso del medio. Rusia ha solicitado la liberación de un traficante de armas llamado Viktor Bout, que cumple una condena de 25 años en Estados Unidos por apoyar el terrorismo. No se espera que la medida ponga fin a su juicio en Khimki, Rusia, en el corto plazo.

La estrella del baloncesto estadounidense Brittney Griner, detenida en Rusia, se declaró culpable en el segundo día del juicio por acusaciones de presunto ...

“La Sra. Griner dice que se declara culpable. Según RIA Novosti, Griner le dijo al tribunal a través de su intérprete que no tenía la intención de llevar equipaje con aceite de hachís, pero esto fue el resultado de que "empacó a toda prisa". La audiencia en el tribunal de Khimki de la región de Moscú terminó. Griner salió de la sala del tribunal sin hacer ningún comentario a la prensa.

Two-time US Olympic basketball gold medalist Brittney Griner has pleaded guilty to drug charges in a Russian court near Moscow, her lawyers confirmed to CNN ...

"In her letter (to Biden), she said that she was scared," the coach said. "But Tom Brady wouldn't be there, right, because he doesn't have to go to a foreign country to supplement his income from the WNBA." "I know BG will be able to find comfort in knowing she has not been forgotten." Given the 99% reported conviction rate in Russian criminal cases, Griner was urged to weigh all the factors, including a plea that could ultimately result in a shorter sentence. of smuggling less than a gram of cannabis oil in her luggage. Griner told the court Thursday she had not intended to commit a crime, state news agency RIA Novosti reported.

Griner pleading guilty could be the pretext to a prisoner exchange.

"The President offered his support to Cherelle and Brittney's family, and he committed to ensuring they are provided with all possible assistance while his administration pursues every avenue to bring Brittney home." "Traditionally, the best defense is to admit your guilt and hope you get a lesser sentence," William Pomeranz, the acting director of the Wilson Center's Kennan Institute in Washington and an expert on Russian law, told ESPN earlier this month. Despite the serious charges against her, an official admission of guilt was the best option for Griner in both the short and long term. Looking further ahead, an admission of guilt is a necessary pretext to a potential prisoner exchange. However, in a statement she read before the judge, Griner maintained there was no intent to break Russian law. I didn't want to break the law," Griner said in English, which was then translated to Russian for the court proceedings, according to Reuters. "I'd like to give my testimony later.

Many believe WNBA star is being used as a political pawn by Russian President Vladimir Putin over his war with Ukraine.

Griner has played for Siberian team UMM Ekaterinburg in the US off-season since 2014, one of a number of WNBA stars to play in Russia as their earnings are much greater than in the US. Griner, who plays in Russia during the WNBA’s offseason, has been held in custody since February, spends 5 hours in a cage every time she is taken to court, her partner Cherelle Griner has revealed. US BASKETBALL star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty to a drugs charge in a Russian court but denied she had intentionally broken the law.

"Me gustaría declararme culpable, señoría. Pero no hubo intención”, señaló la atleta ante el tribunal ruso que juzga su caso.

"Me gustaría declararme culpable, señoría. Pero no hubo intención. No quería infringir la ley", dijo Griner en su comparecencia ante el tribunal de Jimki en inglés. Añadió que le gustaría ofrecer su testimonio más tarde y que necesita tiempo para prepararse. "Logré conversar con la señora Griner en la sala del tribunal. Lo más importante es que logré entregar a la señora Griner una carta del presidente Biden, ella logró leer esa carta", señaló Rood. "Tenemos mecanismos de negociación de estos temas establecidos desde hace tiempo. La próxima vista del juicio, en la que se espera la sentencia, se celebrará el próximo 14 de julio. Brittney Griner: la estrella del baloncesto de EE.UU. se declara culpable de posesión y contrabando de drogas en Rusia

Moscú — La basquetbolista estadounidense Brittney Griner se declaró culpable por posesión y contrabando de drogas en su juicio en Moscú, pero dijo que no ...

Brittney Griner's guilty plea on drug charges on second day of her trial in Russia is unlikely to change much, according to a Russian legal expert.

In it, the seven-time WNBA All-Star and two-time Olympian wrote she was "terrified I might be here forever." On Feb. 17, Russian authorities arrested Griner at an airport outside of Moscow for allegedly carrying hashish oil in vape cartridges. "Brittney sets an example of being brave," the statement said. The trial could last that long, and there's a near certainty a predetermined outcome has already been decided at a higher level, Russian legal expert Jamison Firestone told USA TODAY. Reuters reported from the courtroom that Griner entered a guilty plea. "I'd like to plead guilty, your honor.

Griner, the W.N.B.A. star, pleaded guilty to drug charges in Russia on Thursday. But her supporters are still determined to fight to bring her home.

She added: “The symbolism of that is not lost on any one of us.” “She is in the fight of her life right now, which is why we’ll be in Chicago to show our support for Brittney and for the administration and their efforts to bring her home as soon as possible. Jackson noted that the All-Star Game would take place on the 143rd day of Griner’s detention. “Brittney has admitted to making a mistake, and I hope the Russian authorities recognize that humbling act and respond with compassion,” Sharpton said in a statement. “And yet, we are very mindful that we are not near the end.” “Brittney Griner remains wrongfully detained in Russia, and nothing that happened today changes that 140 days later,” Engelbert said. That evening, Jackson attended a rally to support Brittney Griner at the Footprint Center arena in Phoenix. It had been hosted by the Phoenix Mercury and Representative Greg Stanton, Democrat of Arizona, with hundreds of Griner’s supporters on hand. The league named her as an honorary starter for the All-Star Game on Sunday. After the State Department classified Griner as wrongfully detained, her closest supporters began to feel comfortable drawing attention to her detention. But despite her guilty plea on Thursday, the support she has received from her representatives, friends, family, teammates and others has not waned. And yet try to stay hopeful that there’s some forward progress to getting her home.” Whelan is a former U.S. Marine who has been detained in Russia since 2018.

"There was no intent," Griner said in court, per Reuters. "I didn't want to break the law."

- “The WNBPA stands with Brittney Griner,” the WNBA players association said in astatement“With a 99% conviction rate, Russia’s process is its own. But, what does a recession look like when we have a strong labor market? I didn't want to break the law." What we do know is that the US State Department determined that Brittney Griner was wrongfully detained for a reason and will continue negotiating for her release regardless of the legal process.” Why it matters: Brittney Griner previously wrote a letter to President Biden asking him to help her and other American detainees in Russia. Biden read Cherelle Griner the letter he plans to send to Brittney, the White House said. - Biden tells Cherelle Griner he's working to secure Brittney Griner's release President Biden plans to send WNBA star Brittney Griner a letter and is working to secure her release, he told Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, in a phone call Wednesday. - Cherelle Grinerspoke to Bidenin a phone call on Wednesday and told " CBS Mornings" on Tuesday that the U.S. government needs to do more to help Griner. Biden tells Cherelle Griner he's working to secure Brittney Griner's release - Griner in the letter to Biden earlier this week urged his administration to help her and other American detainees in Russia. - "She's a responsible person and she admitted that it was hers, but she said that it was unintentionally brought to Russia because she was in a hurry as she was packing and it was just by accident," Boykov added. - Griner "unintentionally" brought the vape cartridges containing hashish oil to Russia, her attorney Alexander Boykovsaidafter the hearing, adding that she decided to plead guilty because she is a "responsible person."

Griner, 31, could face up to 10 years in prison on drug smuggling charges under Russian law.

"She is able to read books and under the circumstances, she is doing well," Rood said in a statement. The White House said Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris called Cherelle Griner on Wednesday to assure her that the president is working to secure Griner's release. Griner was later joined in the courtroom by three U.S. embassy representatives and her lawyers, with no TV cameras and only a few journalists allowed in. Before Griner's guilty plea, deputy foreign ministry spokesperson Alexey Zaitsev said Wednesday that she was arrested for "a serious offense, confirmed by indisputable evidence." U.S. officials have said they are working behind the scenes to free her. In a tweet after the hearing, Whelan's twin, David, said he hopes "Griner's guilty plea will hasten the end of the injustice she's experiencing. In a statement, she said: "As we have stated before, we believe the Russian Federation is wrongfully detaining Brittney Griner under intolerable circumstances. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has denied Griner was being held as a hostage. Griner wrote an emotional letter to the president this week, pleading with him to bring her home. At the President's direction, the U.S. government continues to work aggressively, pursuing every avenue, to bring her home safely to her family, friends, and loved ones as soon as possible. Blagovolina said they hoped for leniency from the court. Elizabeth Rood, the charge d'affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, said after the hearing that she was able to speak with Griner in the courtroom and Griner said that she was eating well.

Luego de cuatro meses detenida, inició el juicio de la estrella de la WNBA Brittney Griner en Rusia, y en apenas el segundo día del mismo la jugadora se ...

El lunes 4 de julio, la deportista le envió una carta a Biden diciendo que estaba aterrorizada de quedarse en Rusia para siempre. “Me gustaría declararme culpable, señoría. Pero no hubo intención. No quería infringir la ley“, dijo Griner en su comparecencia ante el tribunal de Jimki en inglés. Añadió que le gustaría ofrecer su testimonio más tarde y que necesita tiempo para prepararse. “Logré conversar con la señora Griner en la sala del tribunal. “Tenemos mecanismos de negociación de estos temas establecidos desde hace tiempo. Lo más importante es que logré entregar a la señora Griner una carta del presidente Biden, ella logró leer esa carta”, señaló Rood. – En medio de las Finales de la NBA los Celtics reclaman la liberación de Brittney Griner y su regreso a EE.UU.

In February 2022, Brittney Griner, the legendary WNBA basketball player, was arrested in Moscow for allegedly having illegal vape cartridges. Now Russia is ...

His freedom could not restore that, and he will be forever known as the Merchant of Death, a stain he will never be able to remove. Bout has already lost what he most valued — his ability to move freely across the globe and act with impunity as an agent of chaos in the service of his Russian handlers and his own interests. The diplomatic and Department of Justice efforts to get Bout to the U.S. to stand trial were a testament to how a whole of government approach can work when done well. In his later years, he was reined in by the Russian state under Putin, no longer able to freelance at will and without unfettered access to massive caches of weapons. Bout ran an aviation and weapons empire from the fall of the Soviet Union until his arrest in Thailand in 2008. In November 2011, the notorious Russian weapons trafficker Viktor Bout was sentenced by a New York court to 25 years in prison for his crimes.

The outpouring of support isn't surprising. A majority of Americans support legalizing marijuana and clearing past cannabis convictions.

A forthcoming bill from Senate Democrats is also expected to automatically expunge nonviolent federal marijuana crimes and provide for resentencing. The long-anticipated Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, co-sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, is said to be nearing introduction. The project began in 2021 by examining qualified immunity and continues in 2022 by examining various ways to improve law enforcement. (In a call Wednesday, Biden told Griner's wife that he is working to get Griner released " as soon as possible." This column is part of a series by USA TODAY Opinion about police accountability and building safer communities. But excepting her status as a pro athlete, Griner – a Black gay woman – would be subject to the disproportionately higher rates of enforcement for cannabis possession that affect marginalized communities, particularly people of color, in the United States. Given the fact Biden has failed to help release tens of thousands of individuals wrongfully detained on nonviolent cannabis charges here in America, it feels naive to expect him to secure Griner's freedom. Even so, Congress needs to act, and fast. Russian authorities need to stop using Griner as a political pawn and release her from detention. After all, cannabis remains a Schedule I drug in the United States. This means that under federal drug trafficking guidelines, any U.S. citizen could face a jail sentence for flying with hash oil. The near universal support for Griner is by no means surprising. And, like Griner in Russia, non-U.S. citizens are regularly prosecuted under our harsh drug laws for crossing our border with cannabis.

Until Russia's courts, with their near perfect conviction rate, conclude the trial process, very little is likely to change.

Clearly this case has now become a political case, and there are already discussions, allegedly, about having a plea agreement and a prisoner swap with a Russian prisoner for Brittney Griner," he said. The admission of guilt could play in Griner's favor in the long term, as it may lead to a shorter trial than would be expected if her legal team were to mount a fierce resistance to the charges. "We'll have to see if she gets the maximum sentence. From a procedural standpoint, under Russia's legal system a pardon or prisoner swap can only happen if the individual has already been convicted. "We of course hope for the leniency of the court," the basketball player's Russian lawyer, Maria Blagovolina, was quoted as saying by local media on Thursday outside a Moscow courthouse. Griner is expected to give testimony during the next hearing, which is scheduled for July 14.

WNBA star Brittney Griner plead guilty to drug charges in Russian court Thursday.

So Griner's confession today would appear to be part of a legal strategy to bring a quicker close to her trial and give the president some options. Most important, I was able to share with Ms. Griner a letter from President Biden, and Ms. Griner was able to read that letter. ELIZABETH ROOD: Again, I was able to speak with Ms. Griner in the courtroom. And so you have to wonder if that political reality was a factor in Griner's decision. CHANG: Yeah. I mean, speaking of, the White House this week made clear that getting Griner home was a priority. MAYNES: Well, you know, Russian officials on the one hand say this is just a drug case. But given her guilty plea today, is that fair to say that she is being wrongfully detained? You know, and as the prosecution was wrapping for the day, Griner suddenly said she had something to say. You know, this was a small courtroom in the summertime with no air conditioning and 20 people packed into it - among them, Brittney Griner, in a small locked cage in the corner. NPR's Charles Maynes was in the courtroom in Moscow today and is on the line with us now. They explained to her the consequences, which is, in fact, a possible 10-year jail sentence. MAYNES: Well, you know, Griner and her lawyers say they'll explain her actions in more detail when the trial picks up again in a week's time on July 14.

Brittney Griner has pleaded guilty in the Russian court where she's on trial for drug possession. NPR's A Martinez talks with veteran defense lawyer ...

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The W.N.B.A. star's appearances this week during her trial on drug charges in Russia highlighted the unclear path to her release and heightened her ...

I visited the arena in April for a Mercury preseason game and was surprised by the muted acknowledgment of Griner in a city where she has given so much. “Free B.G.,” said DeWanna Bonner, of the W.N.B.A.’s Connecticut Sun, speaking to the press. Known as B.G., she helped lead the Mercury to a W.N.B.A. title in 2014 but is as admired there for helping the homeless and championing L.G.B.T.Q. rights. At the time, Griner’s Mercury teammates were following the lead of her advisers, who had decided to stay low-key and not raise a ruckus that might draw Putin’s ire. Over social media, in news conferences and interviews, players demanded that Biden and the White House do whatever was needed to bring her home. The approach flipped a few weeks later when the U.S. State Department declared that Griner had been “wrongfully detained.” The league and its players began to roar — the same as they often do on pressing social issues. Male athletes are the beneficiaries of a sports ecosystem in which their leagues garner more TV time, their endorsements generate more money and their accomplishments are more loudly lauded. It’s a statement about the value of a Black person. It’s a statement about the value of a gay person.” If this were James in custody — or Stephen Curry or Tom Brady — it stands to reason that their fame would push a more fervent mainstream call for release than has been the case for Griner. If this were James in custody, well, a whole lot more than a few hundred people would have shown up to rally for his release. The Mercury center’s teammates, supporters and wife, Cherelle Griner, have not been able to speak with her directly.

Brittney Griner wasn't the first female basketball great to look for a better paycheck in Russian leagues.

Henry Abbott, another former ESPN basketball writer who now runs the digital media company True Hoop, ran the money-laundering rumors by a source: “I asked a veteran of the game, and she laughed, asked if I really didn’t know. The NBA is projecting $10 billion in revenue this season, according to Commissioner Adam Silver. Though the WNBA generates $60 million in revenue annually, Silver said in 2018 that its costs exceed that amount, and the league has lost $10 million on average each year that it has existed. “The only reason you go there is for money,” Taurasi said on an ESPN podcast that aired in 2020. Countries with tense relationships with the U.S. are more often the same ones that offer the most to America’s basketball greats. Griner reportedly makes $1 million a year overseas playing for UMMC Ekaterinburg in the Russian Premier League. For the Mercury, her salary was $221,450 for the 2021-22 season, making her one of the WNBA's highest-paid players. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has pushed back on the theory that playing overseas is strictly a financial decision. Her next court hearing is scheduled for July 14, and Griner’s legal team said they expect the trial to conclude at the beginning of August, according to Reuters. The WNBA Players Association did not respond to Fortune’s request for comment. Russian authorities detained Griner, a seven-time WNBA All-Star for the Phoenix Mercury and an NCAA champion at Baylor University, at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport in February after claiming to find two vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her carry-on luggage. Just because, you know, she can't make enough money in the WNBA, like, to sustain her life." I didn’t want to break the law,” Griner told a judge Thursday at the second hearing of her trial, according to Reuters. “I’d like to give my testimony later. I need time to prepare.” Griner said in court that she had packed in a rush and the vape cartridges made it into her bag by accident, according to Russian media reports.

For more than three years, as former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan toiled in a Russian prison labor camp, his family wondered what it would take to keep the ...

"That's hard to accept and hard to explain to my parents." They might be willing to release someone with a nine- or 10-year sentence [as Griner might face] than someone with a 16-year sentence." "I think in a way her experience has been so much harder than other families' -- not to say that our loved ones haven't suffered," he says. But that swell of attention is not the same thing as progress, David Whelan says. In some cases we don't need to know the details, but I think a line can be drawn [where officials] can share more." The White House was asked about her case almost every day this week, and those questions drew a response that the administration is committed to getting all wrongful detainees home. The people held in China? I really think the president is a good man who's trying to be helpful." "The focus should be on the fact that Russia is taking Americans hostage," she says. "In America we're used to negotiations where each side has something they want and they find something halfway between those groups," she says. "What annoyed the crap out of me is this whole idea that they protested, they got their meeting, and their loved one came home, as if there's some sort of formula. Speaking on Friday, she says her anger isn't with the Griners or Biden; in fact, hours after she spoke with ESPN, President Biden called her to reassure her he is committed to getting Paul home, the White House announced. They emphasize that until one of them is on a plane home, almost no one knows what's really happening behind the scenes.

Después de que la estrella de la WNBA Brittney Griner se declarara culpable de cargos de posesión de drogas en un tribunal ruso, su esposa Cherelle Griner ...

Luego, el juicio se aplazó hasta el 14 de julio. La clínica Her Time to Play y AT&T se llevará a cabo de 4 p.m. a 5:30 p. Todos debemos seguir rezando para que ella encuentre fuerzas en este momento difícil”.

En medio del polémico juicio a la estrella de la WNBA Brittney Griner, tras ser acusada por posesión de drogas en Rusia, los abogado de la jugadora se ...

“Brittney es un ejemplo de valentía”, han añadido por medio de un comunicado público. Las autoridades aduaneras sostienen que en su equipaje se encontraron cartuchos para vapear que contenían aceite de hachís, un concentrado de marihuana. – Rusia sentencia a seis meses más de prisión a la jugadora de la WNBA Brittney Griner por “contrabando de drogas”

CHICAGO (AP) — Brittney Griner is “the fun aunt,” according to Nneka Ogwumike. She is resilient and kind, Ogwumike said. A fellow daughter of Texas, ...

The WNBA put a decal on each of its courts with Griner’s initials as well as her No. 42, and cleared the way for the Phoenix Mercury to pay her without it counting against the team’s salary cap. “At this point I am in the position where I understand that what they are doing is very challenging due to the circumstances with Russia and the United States right now,” Cherelle Griner said. They spoke after Biden read a letter from Brittney Griner in which she said she feared she’d never return home. The trial was then adjourned until July 14. I think she’s already done a lot of time given what we’re talking about was the infraction.” A fellow daughter of Texas, and Ogwumike’s father’s favorite player.

Brittney Griner's wife, Cherelle, was joined by Rev. Al Sharpton and WNBA representatives at a press conference in Chicago ahead of All-Star weekend.

“She is a champion on the court, a champion that should’ve been on the court here this weekend,” Sharpton said. “We are BG. Get her home now.” “But she was a champion yesterday when she stood up and said, ‘I may have done something unintentional. She stood up and owned it. I hope the world knows that she has stood up as that role model.” The press conference came a day after Brittney pleaded guilty to drug charges in Russian court.

CHICAGO — Brittney Griner is “the fun aunt,” according to Nneka Ogwumike. She is resilient and kind, Ogwumike said. A fellow daughter of Texas, ...

The WNBA put a decal on each of its courts with Griner’s initials as well as her No. 42, and cleared the way for the Phoenix Mercury to pay her without it counting against the team’s salary cap. “At this point I am in the position where I understand that what they are doing is very challenging due to the circumstances with Russia and the United States right now,” Cherelle Griner said. They spoke after Biden read a letter from Brittney Griner in which she said she feared she’d never return home. I think she’s already done a lot of time given what we’re talking about was the infraction.” “She’s been there 4 1/2 months, having to be transported in vehicles too small for her frame,” Sharpton said. A fellow daughter of Texas, and Ogwumike’s father’s favorite player.