A group of bipartisan senators—including both from Pennsylvania—are calling for the U.S. government to acknowledge a Butler native imprisoned in Russia as “wrongfully detained.”
Marc Fogel is currently in jail in Russia for possession of less than an ounce of medical marijuana. He was recently sentenced to 14 years at a maximum security prison.
Senators Bob Casey and Pat Toomey, along with seven other senators, are calling on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to reclassify Fogel as “wrongfully detained”
The senators say that move would provide Fogel’s family with a “warranted level of support” and would require the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs to secure Fogel’s freedom.
The 61-year-old Fogel was an international educator for 35 years, whose latest job took him to Russia. He had been prescribed medical marijuana for chronic pain.
