Who is Marc Fogel, the western Pennsylvania native detained in Russia?

WASHINGTON (KDKA) – Earlier this week, Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey and a bipartisan group of congressional leaders sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling on him to declare Butler County native Marc Fogel as wrongfully detained. 

“We write to you with the gravest of concerns regarding the continued detention of Mr. Marc Fogel, a U.S. citizen, native of Southwestern Pennsylvania, and international educator, and ask that you do everything in your power to bring Marc home,” the members wrote.   

Fogel has been detained in a Russian prison since August 2021 and has not been included in two separate prisoner swaps with Russia. 

Who is Marc Fogel?

Fogel was detained in Moscow in August 2021 when he was accused of smuggling marijuana into the country.

Fogel and his wife flew back to Russia for their 10th and final year of teaching in the country, but Marc Fogel was detained at the airport in Moscow. 

His family said he was carrying 17 grams of cannabis for medical reasons to treat chronic back pain.

Fogel and his wife lived in Oakmont and Fogel grew up in Butler County. He was known for his passion for teaching children around the world, including Russia. 

He was ultimately sentenced to 14 years in a Russian prison and following his sentence, he ended up being transferred to a hard labor colony. 

Fighting to free Fogel

Since his detainment in Russia in 2021, his family, citizens, and congressional leaders have been fighting to bring him back. 

Thousands of citizens signed a petition in 2022 calling for the U.S. government to do more to have him brought back home. 

Meanwhile, Senator Bob Casey, Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, and many others have consistently been calling on the Biden Administration and Sec. Blinken to increase their efforts. 

“I put the letter together. We had not only bipartisan but bicameral support from the Pennsylvania delegation. And hopefully, that shows that Pennsylvania, both Senate and House, stand united to get Fogel back,” said Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (PA-14) in 2022. 

In late 2022, the U.S. and Russia executed a prisoner swap that included WNBA player Brittney Griner, but not Fogel. At the time, his family called him a “political pawn” after he remained in Russia. 

“I really thought in my heart that they would lump the three of them together because they’re trading for a dangerous, real criminal. These three people aren’t criminals. It just doesn’t seem like an even trade to me,” Malphine Fogel said. 

As the fight continued, earlier this month, the U.S. and Russia announced another prisoner swap, and once again, Fogel was not included in the swap that brought home Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, Marine veteran Paul Whelan and Russian-American radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva.

“His 95-year-old mother, Malphine, fears she will never see him again. As we celebrate the good news of today, we cannot forget about Marc and the Fogel family,” Sen. Casey said. 

A day later, President Biden was asked about Fogel and said “We’re not giving up on that.” 

Admiral John Kirby, White House National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, said they haven’t forgotten about Fogel. 

“The Russians just weren’t willing to throw him into the mix,” Kirby said. “And we tried many different times. I mean, from a very, very early stage here when we knew we had to work on a new deal, we included Mr. Fogel. Regrettably, they just, they just weren’t biting at it.”    

Fogel remains in Russian prison as of the writing of this story.