Pittsburgh Man Still Imprisoned After U.S.-Russia Jail Swap

OAKMONT, PA — A contingent of federal officials are protesting that a Pittsburgh-area man jailed in Russia will not be included in a prisoner exchange announced Thursday.

Pennsylvania lawmakers continue to lobby for the release of Oakmont teacher Marc Fogel, who will not be freed in the current swap.

On Thursday, it was announced that three American citizens and one American green-card holder imprisoned in Russia are finally coming home: Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva, and Vladimir Kara-Murza.

"The deal that secured their freedom was a feat of diplomacy, " President Joe Biden stated in a White House news release.

"All told, we’ve negotiated the release of 16 people from Russia—including five Germans and seven Russian citizens who were political prisoners in their own country. Some of these women and men have been unjustly held for years. All have endured unimaginable suffering and uncertainty. Today, their agony is over."

In 2022, Fogel was sentenced to 14 years in a maximum security prison after being caught with 17 grams of medical marijuana with to treat a spinal condition. He was arrested in 2021 at a Moscow airport after going to Russia to teach.

While Biden praised the development of those being released, a host of state lawmakers did not.

In a joint statement Thursday, U.S. senators Bob Casey and John Fetterman and U.S. representatives Mike Kelly, Chris Deluzio and Guy Reschenthaler said the following:

“As news of a potential prisoner exchange is being reported, we urge that any swap include Pennsylvania’s Marc Fogel, along with Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich,” the lawmakers said.

“Marc is a Pennsylvania teacher with severe health issues who has been unjustly imprisoned in a Russian prison for three years, and as the congressional members who represent Marc and his family, we have been pushing to bring Marc home as quickly as possible. As negotiations are ongoing with the Russian Federation, we respectfully request that any potential prisoner swap include Marc Fogel.”