Four Congressmen from Pennsylvania introduced legislation Tuesday in honor of Marc Fogel, the teacher originally from Butler currently serving a 14-year sentence in a Russian penal colony.
Fogel was arrested in 2021 for possession of medical marijuana. His family has since advocated for the federal government to designate him as wrongfully detained.
His sister Anne Fogel said the fight has been painstaking, but it's one they aren't giving up.
"There are so few rewards," she said. "There are no rewards until Marc is out. It's the one big payoff. I don't know if that will even happen."
Still, they're considering the Marc Fogel Act a small victory. The bipartisan bill was introduced by Reps. Chris Deluzio (D-PA 17), Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA 14), Mike Kelley (R-PA 16) and Brendan Boyle (D-PA 02). It would force the State Department to be more transparent in the process to mark Americans as wrongfully detained.
"The Marc Fogel Act is really for anybody else who in the future finds themselves in this situation," said Anne Fogel. "I hope that it can help him, but we'll see."
According to the legislators who introduced the bill, Fogel meets at least six of the eleven criteria for receiving the wrongfully detained designation.
"Since last year, I have urged the State Department to classify him as wrongfully detained and prioritize securing his release," said Reschenthaler. "The Department has failed to do either and refused to explain its inaction – effectively stonewalling my efforts to bring him home. The Marc Fogel Act will provide transparency into the State Department's wrongful detainment determination process and help ensure that Americans imprisoned overseas are not forgotten."
