MISSOULA — There's renewed hope this week for a man with ties to Montana who is imprisoned in Russia.
Marc Fogel has now been designated "wrongfully detained" as he serves a 14-year sentence in Russia for possessing medical marijuana.
Fogel, a schoolteacher from Pennsylvania, was first detained in Russia in August 2021, after being found with a small amount of medical marijuana.
Just under a year later, he was convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to prison. That following October, he was transferred to a penal colony.
Throughout this time, his family, including his sister Anne who lives in Missoula, has advocated at all levels of government for his release.
MTN sat down with Anne and Malphine Fogel to hear about their fight to bring Marc home.
"I just finished a dog walk in Pattee Canyon and I got into cell service and my sister-in-law called me and said, hey, the president just called me," detailed Anne.
After more than three years, Marc Fogel has been formally declared wrongfully detained in Russia. That designation means he'll have the full force of the United States government behind him to bring him home.
"It felt like they had taken a lid off of the box that we had been in," stated Anne.
Fogel was arriving in Russia to finish a 10-year tenure teaching but was arrested for carrying medical marijuana for chronic pain and convicted on drug smuggling charges.
Marc's mother, Malphine, noted, "He is such a gentle, even-tempered person, and you know, to have this happen to him is just so out of character with somebody like him."
Others, including Marine veteran Paul Whelan, who had been imprisoned in Russia were brought back to the States earlier this year.
"We thought, oh my gosh, he could be getting on the plane as well," Anne expressed.
But Marc wouldn't be on that plane home.
"When he wasn't, it was a bit of a gut punch." Malphine added, "It's just been such a nightmare. I mean, who would ever, ever dream of anything like this?"
Malphine shared she never would have imagined her kind, outdoorsy son to be trapped abroad. She told MTN, "I still have my warm bed and I have whatever kind of food I want. I don't know what his conditions are."
The insight she does have into his time in prison is that Marc tries to find relief by walking the prison grounds.
Malphine shared, "He goes to a small building on the premises that they use as a church. He said it's just a plain old building. It has an altar and some candles, that's all. There are no seats or anything. But I think he likes going there and I think he gets a lot of comfort by going there.
As Marc's case heads towards reuniting him with his family, he sits in prison until then.
"He's 63 years old and he has a long list of medical conditions. He needs to be prioritized because of his health and his age and because he doesn't belong there," Anne stated.
Until he's home, his family will continue to find solace in hearing his voice, which they say hasn't changed, as he's allowed to make phone calls from Russia.
"I think it keeps him going when he has some tie with us still. He says the phone calls are his lifeline," said Malphine. "He's a valuable individual. He deserves to be home and he is a he's a bright shining light," added Anne.
For those looking to help bring Marc Fogel home, his family urges you to write on behalf of his release to President Biden and President-elect Trump.
