‘On top of the world’: Marc Fogel enjoys 1st breakfast back in the U.S.
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Marc Fogel woke up Wednesday morning in a plush Washington, D.C., hotel and enjoyed a breakfast of bacon and eggs for the first time in more than 31⁄2 years.
“He’s just grateful and on top of the world right now,” his mother, Malphine Fogel, told TribLive. “There’s only good things ahead now.”
Later in the day, her son was expected to fly to San Antonio, Texas, where he will be evaluated at an Army hospital, which is protocol for Americans who have been held captive around the world.
Fogel, an American history teacher, was arrested in Moscow on Aug. 14, 2021, for taking prescribed medical marijuana into the country where he was about to begin his tenth and final year teaching at the Anglo-American School.
Following a sham trial, Fogel was convicted of drug smuggling and drug possession and sentenced to 14 years incarceration.
For years, his family and supporters lobbied to have him declared wrongfully detained by the U.S. government. The designation happened late last year, and early this week, the Trump administration negotiated his release.
Fogel returned to the U.S. aboard a private jet with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. They landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.
About an hour later, Fogel met with President Donald Trump and members of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation in the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House.
Fogel, who grew up in Butler County and lived and taught in Oakmont, spoke to the media for a few minutes, which his mom watched with joy.
“I thought he handled himself very well,” she said. “He looked pretty normal. What he’s been through has been excruciating, I’m sure — not knowing what was happening next.”
In his comments, Fogel thanked the president, Trump’s diplomatic staff and others for bringing him home.
“I love our country, and I’m so happy to be back here,” he said.
Sasha Phillips, a Pittsburgh attorney who has been working with the Fogel family since just a few days after his arrest, said Fogel’s positive and upbeat attitude at the White House are representative of who he is as a person.
His comments — made after a 10-hour flight, Phillips said — were eloquent and heartfelt.
“It’s an absolute whirlwind, and I’m amazed he’s still functioning,” she said.
During their interaction, Trump told Fogel he would show him the Lincoln bedroom, which Malphine Fogel said he did, getting to tour parts of the White House late Tuesday.
“He’s really a history buff,” she said. “I think that probably meant a lot to him.”
Phillips said Malphine Fogel saved her son a big stack of newspapers for him to read upon his return.
“I hope in coming days, weeks and months that he realizes he was not forgotten,” Phillips said. “I think that’s going to be a huge part of healing in his journey to recovery.”
Because of the snowy weather Tuesday in Washington, Fogel’s wife and sons were going directly to San Antonio to meet him. That reunion, Phillips said, will be private.
“That’s the best medicine for Marc,” his mom said, noting that she hopes he gets some sunshine there, too. “To be robbed of three-and-a-half years of your life is no small thing.
“It will take some time to get back to normal.”