Rep. Mike Kelly statement on Marc Fogel remaining imprisoned in Russia

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) released the following statement on Butler County native and Pittsburgh-area schoolteacher Marc Fogel remaining in Russian prison after today's historic prisoner swap between the United States and Russia.

"I am disappointed to hear that Butler County native Marc Fogel was not a part of the prisoner swap today between the United States and Russia. Since he was imprisoned in Russia in 2021, I have repeatedly called on the Biden Administration to include Mr. Fogel in any future release," said Rep. Mike Kelly. "I'm saddened not only for Marc, but also for his 95-year-old mother, Malphine Fogel, and Marc's family, who have been without him for more than 1,000 days. I also want to commend former President Donald Trump for meeting with Malphine Fogel last month in Butler. As we celebrate the return of Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, we must continue to work toward a day when Marc Fogel is also reunited with his family in Pennsylvania."

BACKGROUND

Since Marc Fogel was imprisoned in Russia in 2021, Rep. Kelly has advocated for Fogel's safe return to the United States.

Marc Fogel, a Butler, Pennsylvania native, taught history courses at schools attended by children of U.S. diplomats in Colombia, Venezuela, Oman, Malaysia, and, for 10 years, in Russia. Fogel was detained on August 14, 2021, and is serving a 14-year hard-labor sentence for possession of medical marijuana used to treat his severe back injury, a charge very similar to that of WNBA player Brittney Griner.

Under federal law, Fogel meets established criteria to be designated as wrongfully detained by the State Department. He has yet to be classified as wrongfully detained. Griner was designated in less than three months after her arrest. On December 8, 2022, Griner was released from Russian prison via a prisoner swap for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer known as the "Merchant of Death." Fogel remains in a Russian penal colony serving his sentence.

You can learn more about Kelly's recent legislative work below:

• In a December 2023 letter, members of the Pennsylvania delegation made a similar call to Secretary of State Antony Blinken that any potential prisoner swap must include Fogel, along with Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich.
• Rep. Kelly has previously led efforts to free Mr. Fogel, including by introducing The Marc Fogel Act in June. This legislation would amend the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act to require more transparency from the State Department to Congress on how wrongful detainment determinations are made.