Michael Travis Leake is an American musician living in Russia who has been detained on charges of “running a drug-dealing business involving young people,” according to Russian courts.
According to the Russian news agency Interfax, Travis Michael Leek was charged with conducting a drug trafficking enterprise “involving young people” by the Khamovniki District Court in Moscow.
He may be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison for trafficking the drug mephedrone, according to Russian media reports. The singer’s social media profiles use the name “Travis Leake,” and his mother informed CNN that he was Michael Travis Leake. Leake, according to CNN, was in court on June 10 and will be held in pre-trial detention until August 6.
Leake was recognized by the general court of jurisdiction in Moscow as a former paratrooper in the American military, according to Interfax. Leake has been the lead vocalist and producer of the Moscow-based band Lovi Noch for almost five years, according to LinkedIn. He contributed lyrics and sang backup for several Russian punk rock bands.
Additionally, Leake’s LinkedIn profile revealed that he served as the president of Red Decades Records, a business that sought to find and develop “new and existing talent in the Russian marketplace for wider distribution in a world market.”
Apparently, a citizen of the United States was held in Moscow, according to reports, a representative for the U.S. State agency said, adding that the agency “has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens abroad.” Invoking privacy concerns, the agency refuses to disclose more information.
Less than three months have passed since the espionage-related arrest of Wall Street Journal writer Evan Gershkovich, which led to Leake’s detention.
Gershkovich is expected to remain in pre-trial confinement in a Moscow prison until at least August 30. He vigorously refuted the accusations against him, as did the Wall Street Journal, stressing that Gershkovich was an authorized journalist working in Russia at the time of his arrest.
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