Oakmont teacher Marc Fogel's family speaks out after he was left out of Russia-U.S. prisoner swap
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The family of Oakmont teacher and Butler County native Mark Fogel is speaking out after he was not included in Thursday's prisoner swap between the United States and Russia.
Fogel has been detained in a Russian prison since August 2021 after he was caught with less than an ounce of medical cannabis used to treat a back injury.
The U.S. on Thursday secured the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, Marine veteran Paul Whelan and Russian-American radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, but not 63-year-old Fogel.
Marc's sister Anne said that the family knew something was going on from the news feeds and they started calling senators, ambassadors and the Department of State and was hopeful that Marc would be on the plane.
"Marc called me yesterday morning and when I realized that he was in Rybinsk, I knew that things were not going well," she said.
Fogel's mother has been critical of the Biden administration for not trying hard enough to include her son in a prisoner swap. At her home, around the front yard and in the window, she has signs calling for her son to be brought back home. She says the last few days haven't been easy.
"When I heard about the exchange, it was gutwrenching," Malphine Fogel said.
She says she talks to him every week and tries to keep hope that her son will be home soon.
"It's been so hard with his family, particularly his immediate family. It's just been devastating," Malphine Fogel said at her home in Butler Township.
Marc is currently in a penal colony about 5 to 6 hours from Moscow. This recent prisoner swap felt like a kick in the shins for his family, as he was once again not part of it. His family said he's never been designated as unlawfully detained.
"If they don't designate him, I don't think there's a chance," Malphine Fogel said.
In the past couple of days, White House leadership has said they wanted to bring him home but couldn't. They are trying to make it happen.
"The Russians just weren't willing to throw him into the mix," said Admiral John Kirby, the national security coordinator for strategic communications. "And we tried many different times. I mean, from a very, very early stage here when we knew we had to work on a new deal, we included Mr. Fogel. Regrettably, they just, they just weren't biting at it."
When asked about Fogel on Friday, Biden said they weren't giving up.
Fogel's family said they've never heard from the White House or even seen them mention his name until now.
"The United States hasn't really done anything to further his cause and Russia is probably just complacent. They don't care," Malphine Fogel said.
She is calling on the White House and President Joe Biden to do more.
"He owes it to us. He owes to Marc. Three years of his life is gone," his mom said while surrounded by family and friends.
There is still hope for Malphine. The mother said she can't quit and leave her son behind.
"We have to get him home. We have to get him home," she told KDKA-TV.
The family has set up a website to call for help to get Marc home.
Local leaders react to Fogel not being included in swap
Amid the news of a 24-person prisoner swap between the U.S., Russia, Germany, and three other Western countries, Senators Bob Casey and John Fetterman along with U.S. Representatives Mike Kelly, Chris Deluzio and Guy Reschenthaler asked for Fogel to be included, saying he has severe health issues and has been unjustly imprisoned.
Sen. Casey acknowledged that "negotiating with a foreign adversary is no easy task," but in the same way the U.S. has brought home Americans like Brittney Griner, Gershkovich and Whelan, Fogel should be a priority.
Rep. Deluzio echoed Casey's sentiments.
"I'm of course happy for the families of those who are coming home but I'm disappointed. I'm frustrated that Marc Fogel remains in prison in Russia," Deluzio said.
Deluzio said Fogel should be released even without a prisoner swap.
Rep. Kelly said he's disappointed and saddened that Fogel's mother hasn't seen her son for more than three years.
A spokesperson for Sen. Fetterman said he's disappointed, but he "remains confident the Biden-Harris Administration is committed to bringing Marc home."
Casey along with Fetterman, Kelly, Deluzio and Reschenthaler have been pushing for Fogel's release for years, sending a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in August of 2022, urging him to classify Fogel as wrongfully detained.