PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and other lawmakers have called on the Biden administration to designate a Pennsylvanian jailed in Russia as “wrongfully detained.”
Pittsburgh resident Marc Fogel spent decades teaching history to the children of American diplomats in Russia and planned to teach one more year, according to Casey. However, on Aug. 14, 2021, he was arrested at an airport in Moscow, where officials found 17 grams of cannabis in his luggage.
Casey and fellow Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, along with a dozen other lawmakers, sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken this week asking that Fogel be classified as “wrongfully detained.”
Casey addressed the Senate about Fogel’s case in June, telling them Fogel smoked medically prescribed marijuana to help with chronic pain — and that his condition is worsening in prison. “Based on a review of Marc's records from the prison hospital, Marc's treating physician has expressed grave concerns over Marc's declining health,” Casey told his fellow senators.
Read the full letter:
WNBA star Brittney Griner was released from Russian captivity in 2022 after 10 months in prison on a similar drug charge. Philadelphia defense attorney Michael Fienman says Griner's fame likely helped the U.S. negotiate her freedom.
“In Russia's view, I believe Mr. Fogel is relatively small potatoes compared to Ms. Griner, but nonetheless, they're still holding onto him for potential leverage,” said Fienman, who pointed out there are tens of thousands of people incarcerated in America for similar weed possession convictions.
“If the will of the people is such that those individuals should be released from jail and their records cleared, that's what they should do.”
Fogel told family members he feels like his "soul is dead" after not being included in the massive U.S.-Russia prisoner exchange this month that freed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan. Both of those men were detained on espionage charges.
The White House says it is working to bring Fogel home.