Pa. lawmakers call on Secretary of State Rubio to bring teacher Marc Fogel home

Megan Tomasic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Jan 24, 2025

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PITTSBURGH — Pennsylvania Sens. Dave McCormick and John Fetterman along with Butler congressman Mike Kelly joined a group of Pennsylvania lawmakers in urging the newly seated U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to bring Oakmont teacher Marc Fogel home from Russia.

The letter, sent to Rubio, who was officially confirmed Monday as secretary of state, asks him to "do everything in your power to bring Marc home immediately." Fogel, 63, of Oakmont was arrested in Russia in 2021 for having a small amount of marijuana.

The bipartisan letter, sent Thursday, was signed by both senators and 11 members of the Pennsylvania House Delegation.

"Marc Fogel is a good man who made a mistake, and now he's facing an inhumane sentence in a notoriously brutal Russian prison," Fetterman, D-Pa., said in a statement. "Over the past two years, I've fought relentlessly to bring Marc home and I'm not stopping until we get it done. This letter is proof that Pennsylvanians, regardless of party, are united in bringing Marc home."

Fogel was arrested at the Sheremetyevo Airport outside of Moscow in August 2021 as he returned to the country for his 10th and final year as a history teacher at the Anglo-American School of Moscow. He was charged with possession of marijuana and sentenced to 14 years of hard labor.

Since then, his family has been fighting to bring him home.

In the past year Fogel's mother, Malphine Fogel, has taken several steps including filing a lawsuit questioning why her son had not been declared "wrongfully detained" by the government when his case parallels so many other Americans who have been declared as such, including WNBA star Brittney Griner. Griner, like Fogel, had been detained in Russia on drug-related charges but was freed in December 2022 during a prisoner swap.

In July Fogel met with now President Donald Trump before a July rally in Butler. But the assassination attempt on Trump prevented further conversations that day.

By October, Fogel's family learned he had officially been designated as "wrongfully detained." Fogel afterwards made a motion to dismiss her lawsuit.

But the news came a month after another prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russia took place, leading to the release of two dozen detainees including former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. Fogel was not included in the swap.

Now, lawmakers are continuing the push for Fogel's release.

"The Russian Government's outrageous treatment of this American teacher is a clear effort to use Marc as a political pawn to exert leverage on the United States," the letter reads. "It must not stand."

The state lawmakers are asking Rubio to resubmit a request every month for a U.S. Embassy Moscow representative to visit Fogel and to ensure Russian officials approve those requests; arrange frequent medial visits for Fogel; offer regular engagement to the Fogel family between the deputy secretary of state and another senior official relevant to the case; and provide regular briefings to interested congressional offices.

In a statement Kelly, R-Pa., said for years he has met with the Fogel family and advocated for Fogel's safe return.

"The Russian government has targeted Americans, including Marc, and used them as political pawns," Kelly said. "I look forward to working with President Trump and Secretary Rubio to reunite Marc with his family in Western Pennsylvania. The Fogel family, especially his 95-year-old mother, deserves to see Marc again."

McCormick, R-Pa., said he told Ms. Fogel in August that "we must do everything possible to get Marc home."

"I'm proud to stand with my Pennsylvania colleagues in solidarity of Marc and his family, with the strongest desire to secure his release," McCormick said in a statement. "The Russian government has used Marc as a political pawn for too long, and we look forward to working with President Trump and Secretary Rubio to finally bring Marc home."

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