Rep. Dean signs letter urging authorities to bring home PA teacher serving 14-year sentence in Russia for possession of medical marijuana

Congresswoman Madeleine Dean of Glenside announced today that she and other members of Congress signed a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging authorities to bring home Pennsylvania teacher Marc Fogel, who has been detained in Russia since August 2021.

Fogel, a Pennsylvania native and career educator (pictured above), was arrested for carrying less than an ounce of medical marijuana that had been legally prescribed to him by his doctor to treat serious medical conditions, according to Rep. Dean’s press release.

According to the Washington Post, Fogel is serving a 14-year prison sentence imposed by a Russian judge in June 2021.

“We write to you with the greatest concern about the ongoing detention of Mr. Marc Fogel, a U.S. citizen originally from southwestern Pennsylvania and an international educator, and ask that you do everything in your power to bring Marc home,” the letter said. “Designating Marc as ‘wrongfully detained’ underscores the political nature of his ongoing detention by the Russian government and the failure of humanitarian and other efforts to secure Marc’s release. It will also demonstrate that the U.S. government considers his case to be as important as similar cases (…) Finally, it will provide the family with resources such as a Family Engagement Team that can provide ongoing support and communication with Marc’s family.”

In July 2023, Congresswoman Dean joined her colleagues in co-sponsoring a bipartisan resolution calling for Fogel’s immediate release. In October 2022, she sent a letter to Secretary of State Blinken demanding that Mr. Fogel be classified as wrongfully imprisoned and brought home.

The letter was led by Senator Casey and signed by Congresswoman Dean, U.S. Senators John Fetterman (D-PA), Jon Tester (D-MT), Chris Coons (D-DE), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and U.S. Representatives Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA-5), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-6), Susan Wild (D-PA-7), Summer Lee (D-PA-12), Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA-14), Glenn Thompson (R-PA-15), Mike Kelly (R-PA-16), and Chris Deluzio (D-PA-17).

The full letter to the Secretary of State can be found below:

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Photo: Washington Post