Biden "not giving up" on freeing Marc Fogel from Russian prison

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- President Biden says he's not giving up on freeing Oakmont teacher Marc Fogel from the Russian penal colony where he's been imprisoned for three years. 

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, who 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. 

Malphine Fogel, Marc Fogel's mother, has criticized the Biden administration for not bringing her son home. When asked about Fogel on Friday, Biden told reporters, "We're not giving up on that." 

Admiral John Kirby, White House National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, said they haven't forgotten about Fogel. 

"The Russians just weren't willing to throw him into the mix," Kirby said. "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."    

Who is Marc Fogel? 

Fogel is a teacher from Oakmont who was raised in Butler County. His family said he loves to travel and was passionate about teaching children across the world. 

In August of 2021, Fogel and his wife flew back to Russia for their 10th and final year of teaching in the country, but Fogel was detained at the airport in Moscow. His family said he was carrying 17 grams of cannabis for medical reasons to treat chronic back pain.

Fogel was convicted of drug smuggling and drug possession. He was given a 14-year sentence in a high-security penal colony in Russia, which his family called a "death sentence" because of his health issues.

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers who represent western Pennsylvania have been pushing to bring Fogel home 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. 

After Fogel wasn't included in Thursday's prisoner swap, those lawmakers expressed disappointment and continued to advocate for his release.  

Fogel's 95-year-old mom said she will continue to call on Biden and the White House to do more. 

"I might be on borrowed time," Malphine Fogel told KDKA-TV in July. "I don't know how much time I have. I want to come home while I still know him."