A year after he returned to the United States following more than three years in Russian custody, former teacher Marc Fogel is settling back into family life, according to his mother and Pennsylvania lawmakers who advocated for his case.
Marc Fogel, an American educator who worked at the Anglo-American School of Moscow, was arrested in August 2021 at a Russian airport after authorities said he possessed marijuana that his family and supporters have described as medically prescribed. He was later sentenced to 14 years in a Russian penal colony on drug charges.
Fogel’s supporters had long urged the U.S. government to elevate his case. In late December 2024, the U.S. State Department formally designated Fogel as “wrongfully detained,” a classification that typically shifts oversight to the office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs and can intensify U.S. efforts to negotiate a detainee’s release.
The Daily Wire, which has closely followed the family’s advocacy campaign, reported that those involved in Fogel’s case believed he may have been targeted because of his connection to the school where he worked. The Anglo-American School of Moscow’s operations were suspended by a Moscow court in April 2023, and the school later announced it would permanently close. In June 2023, Russia’s Justice Ministry added the school to its “foreign agent” registry. U.S. officials criticized Russia’s actions against the school at the time.
In August 2024, The Daily Wire published an audio recording in which Fogel said his “soul is dead” as he lamented being left out of earlier high-profile U.S.-Russia deals that freed other Americans. His family and lawyers also publicly expressed frustration that he did not receive a “wrongfully detained” designation sooner.
The Daily Wire reported that Fogel’s mother, Malphine Fogel, met Donald Trump at a July 13, 2024 campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania, where he told her he would work to secure her son’s release if elected. Local coverage and public accounts also place Malphine Fogel at the rally, which was later disrupted by an assassination attempt against Trump.
After Trump’s inauguration, the White House announced on February 11, 2025 that Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, was leaving Russian airspace with Fogel following a negotiated exchange. Fogel arrived in Washington and appeared at the White House that day, where he thanked Trump and others involved in the effort, telling reporters he felt like “the luckiest man on Earth right now.”
Marking the one-year anniversary of his return, Pennsylvania lawmakers again highlighted their advocacy. The Daily Wire reported that Rep. Guy Reschenthaler credited Trump with acting quickly after what he characterized as unsuccessful efforts during the Biden administration. Sen. Dave McCormick, according to The Daily Wire, said greeting Fogel at the White House was his “best day in the U.S. Senate,” and said he worked with Sen. John Fetterman to push for Fogel’s designation as wrongfully detained. The outlet also reported that Rep. Chris Deluzio greeted Fogel at the White House with an Iron City Beer, a hometown reference to Western Pennsylvania.
In an interview with The Daily Wire, Malphine Fogel said her son has been focused on family and adjusting to life back home. “I still wake up praying that Marc comes home — it just hasn’t fully registered yet,” she said, adding that he was “enjoying family life again, catching up on sports, and relishing every moment.”
