WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner pleaded guilty to drug charges on Thursday. Griner faces a maximum sentence of ten years in Russian prison.
The 31-year-old was detained in a Moscow airport in February after authorities found vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage. She was charged with large-scale transportation of drugs.
Griner’s lawyer, Alexander Boikov, told reporters that Griner admitted to having the vape canisters in the courtroom on Thursday, but said she did not intend to bring them into Russia, according to Russian outlet RIA Novosti.
Griner is hoping for leniency from the court, her other lawyer, Maria Blagovolina said, per NBC News. Her next appearance in court will be on July 14.
After months of being held by Russian authorities, Griner wrote a handwritten letter that was delivered to President Joe Biden on Monday, pleading with the president to remember her and saying she’s “terrified” that she will remain in prison “forever.”
“On the 4th of July, our family normally honors the service of those who fought for our freedom, including my father who is a Vietnam War Veteran. It hurts thinking about how I usually celebrate this day because freedom means something completely different to me this year,” wrote Griner.
Griner’s saga comes in the context of heightened tensions between the U.S. and Russia amid the latter’s invasion of Ukraine. The basketball star’s wife, Cherelle Griner, has previously said she believes her wife is being used as a “political pawn.”