 He's also a former U.S. paratrooper. It was not immediately clear how Leake pled before the court, but earlier media reports say the American claimed not to understand the charges or why he'd been detained. A Russian woman, whom prosecutors accused of being his accomplice, was also sentenced to eight years in prison. Leake is one of at least a dozen Americans now in Russian jails. That includes Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, whose trial in espionage charges begins closing arguments Friday. Charles Mainz, NPR News, Moscow.