American schoolteacher Marc Fogel returned to the US on Tuesday night after being released from Russia in a deal facilitated by President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff. Fogel had been arrested in August 2021 by Russian authorities for attempting to enter the country with 0.6 ounces (17 g) of medical marijuana. In June 2022, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
The Trump administration praised Fogel’s release as a sign of improving US-Russia relations and potential progress toward negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. Steve Witkoff, the special envoy, was spotted earlier on Tuesday in Moscow, though the Kremlin denied any knowledge of his visit (Trump’s Envoy Steve Witkoff on Secret Mission in Moscow).
Fogel was personally welcomed by Trump at the White House, arriving on the South Lawn with an American flag draped around his neck. He expressed gratitude to the president, his team, and his own family as he made his way inside.
“I feel like the luckiest man on earth right now,” Fogel said. “I will forever be indebted to President Trump, and to Steve over there.”
“It’s great to have you back,” Trump responded. “I truly appreciate what they did to bring Marc home… We got a man home whose mother and family wanted him desperately, whose state wanted him.”
Fogel hails from Pennsylvania and graduated from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Over the years, he taught history at international schools across Colombia, Malaysia, Oman, Mexico, and Venezuela. Since 2012, he has been living and working in Russia, where he taught at the Anglo-American School of Moscow.
Trump did not respond directly to a reporter who asked about the deal that secured Fogel’s release, saying only that it was “very fair” and hinting that another prisoner might be freed as soon as Wednesday this week, but did not say if the prisoner is American or Russian. Instead, he described the event as an opportunity for fostering goodwill, especially as it would reflect on the war in Ukraine. “It’s a very important evening for ending that war,” the president remarked, adding, “This could be a big, important part in getting the war over with Ukraine.”
Fogel and his wife held diplomatic status in Russia until May 2021. He was detained upon arriving in Moscow from New York on August 14, 2021. At Sheremetyevo Airport, customs officers stopped him while he was walking through the “green corridor” after service dogs reacted to his luggage. During a search, marijuana and hash oil were discovered in his belongings. Investigators raised suspicions that Fogel had previously used his diplomatic status to smuggle drugs into Russia for distribution to schoolchildren.
