Stroock partner Tom Firestone, who for nearly a decade acted as legal counsel to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow before focusing his practice on international investigations and compliance, has continued to provide news outlets and the public with key insights regarding the condition of basketball superstar Brittney Griner's detention by the Russian government.
At the same time, Tom has used his vast experience navigating compliance matters related to international business transactions to provide advice for members of the business community regarding the economic sanctions now in place against Russia and its citizens.
Recent media highlights include:
New York Times — "Brittney Griner's Circle Turns to a Common Strategy: Silence"
"Russia has not had liberalization in its cannabis laws the same way we have in the United States," Tom tells the New York Times, noting that the length of Griner's detention so far is not unusual given the charges she faces.
Getting out on bail is difficult for people charged with narcotics offenses, and will be especially so for Griner since she is not a Russian citizen, Tom adds.
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Wall Street Journal — "Brittney Griner Faces a Long Journey Through the Russian Legal System"
The lengthy pre-trial period typical of the Russian legal system serves as an opportunity for Griner's legal team to mount a defense, engage with what they see as potential weak points, attempt to amend the case file or argue that the charges against Griner should be dropped, Tom tells the Wall Street Journal.
"You want the most favorable case file, or the least damaging to the defendant, as possible," he says.
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The Hill — "Anxiety about Brittney Griner's freedom mounts amid Russia-Ukraine conflict"
"We could have good relations with Russia and being arrested, bringing in a narcotic substance would be a very, very serious matter," Tom tells TheHill, noting that the current tension between the U.S. and Russia is not necessarily to blame for Griner's detention.
Still, he adds, a strained relationship between the two nations could also provide roadblocks in negotiations if the countries wanted to engage in a prisoner exchange.
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Yahoo Sports — "For Brittney Griner, chilly US-Russia relations are 'not a good environment to negotiate.' So what's her best option?"
Tom has a similar message for Yahoo Sports, stating that "Whatever kind of bargain could normally be worked out at the political level is going to be much harder to work out right now."
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Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC News) — "Brittney Griner is detained in Russia. Putin's war in Ukraine could put the US basketball star in even more danger"
Tom again emphasizes the precarity of Griner's situation for Australia's national news outlet, adding that she could become a tool for Russian pro-war propaganda.
"She could be a pawn in the sense they could try to spin this for propaganda purposes: 'The Americans are bringing drugs into our country, they're spoiling our country'," Tom says.
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Reuters — "Russia's Sberbank blasts bid for asset freeze in $1 bln U.S. case"
While deciphering the Griner detention, Tom has continued to provide guidance to members of the business community tasked with adjusting to sanctions affected by the involvement of Russian stakeholders, including the proposed freezing of the assets held by Sberbank — Russia's largest bank — in relation to an ongoing dispute between the bank and former Russian Olympic official Akhmed Bilalov.
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