Zinke applauds the return of Marc Fogel to American soil

Washington, D.C. - Today, Western Montana Representative Ryan Zinke issued a statement following the announcement that President Trump secured the release of U.S. citizen Marc Fogel, who has been wrongfully detained in Russia since 2021. Fogel’s sister and son currently live in Montana.  

“God bless; Marc Fogel is finally coming home to American soil where he belongs,” said Zinke. “Marc has a wonderful family in Montana that I know is eagerly awaiting his return. I have met with them many times and I am so glad we are able to report that their nightmare is finally over. Thank you, President Trump, this is a big win. Bravo Zulu.” 

According to Russian authorities, Marc Fogel was supposedly detained for attempting to enter the country with 0.6 ounces of medical marijuana. He was then sentenced to 14 years of hard labor, an unjust punishment disproportioned to his alleged crime. He is originally from Pennsylvania where he was a schoolteacher. He has been a history teacher at international schools in Colombia, Malaysia, Oman, Mexico, and Venezuela. He had lived and worked in Russia since 2012 and was teaching at the Anglo-American School of Moscow when he was wrongfully arrested. 

Background

Zinke and his staff have met with Fogel’s family many times over the last two years and pressed the previous administration on multiple occasions to fight for the release of Fogel. 

Zinke signed on House Concurrent Resolution 60 - Calling for the immediate release of Marc Fogel, a United States citizen and teacher, who was given an unjust and disproportionate criminal sentence by the Government of the Russian Federation in June 2022

Zinke signed onto H.R.4388 the Marc Fogel Act - to require the Department of State, in certain cases, to submit information to Congress regarding U.S. nationals who may be detained abroad unlawfully or wrongfully.

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