American ladies’ b-ball star Brittney Griner was sentenced for purposely sneaking medications into Russia and condemned to nine years of prison time Thursday for a situation that has raised concerns she is being utilized as a political pawn in Russia’s conflict against Ukraine.

Judge Anna Sotnikova of the Khimki city court conveyed the sentence and fined Griner 1 million rubles, or about $16,400. She said the court considered Griner’s incomplete affirmation of culpability, regret for the deed, condition of wellbeing and beneficent exercises. Examiners had asked that she be condemned to 9.5 years in prison.

Before the decision, Griner apologized to the court and requested mercy in a profound discourse.

“I never intended to hurt anyone, I never intended to place in risk the Russian populace, I never intended to overstep any regulations here,” Griner said. “I committed a fair error and I trust that in your decision that it doesn’t take my life here. I realize everyone continues to discuss political pawn and governmental issues, yet that’s what I trust, that is a long way from this court.

“I need to say again that I had no plan on overstepping any Russian regulations. I had no goal. I didn’t contrive or want to perpetrate this wrongdoing,” she added.

After the sentence, Griner told a CNN maker as she left court, “I love my loved ones.”

Griner’s legal counselors, Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov, said in a composed explanation they will pursue the choice and censured the court for disregarding their proof. They have 10 days to pursue.

“We are extremely frustrated by the decision. As legitimate experts, we accept that the court ought to be reasonable for everybody paying little heed to identity. The court totally overlooked all the proof of the protection, and in particular, the blameworthy request,” they said in the proclamation. “This goes against the current lawful practice. Considering how much the substance (also the imperfections of the mastery) and the supplication, the decision is totally preposterous. We will unquestionably document an allure.”

Talking outside court, Boykov said that the normal time in prison for this sort of wrongdoing is five years, adding that close to 33% of those sentenced get parole.

Griner “isn’t doing fine today,” said Blagovolina, an accomplice at Rybalkin, Gortsunyan, Dyakin and Partners law office. The guard group is confident that Griner will actually want to converse with her family one week from now. Blagovolina added that Griner will get back to the confinement community where she is being held.

A Russian court on Thursday condemned Brittney Griner, a WNBA b-ball star and Houston local, to nine years in jail for pirating unlawful medications into that country.

Griner confessed to the charges last month and apologized for the episode, considering it an “innocent slip-up.”

The decision is the most recent bleak improvement in an adventure that started in February, when Russian specialists captured Griner just before that country’s unjustifiable intrusion into Ukraine.