Pennsylvania schoolteacher Marc Fogel traveled to Russia with marijuana. The magic lettuce is considered a narcotic in Russia. Marc Fogel found out you cannot take medicinal marijuana to Russia. Marc Fogel was arrested in 2021.
Today Russia released criminally convicted Marc Fogel as a good faith gesture to the administration of President Donald Trump. Marc Fogel thanks President Trump for securing his release from prison. President Trump hints there is another prisoner who will be released tomorrow. WATCH:
.
It sounds like Russia replaced Fogel’s medical dependency on Marijuana (no idea what the prescription was for) with some other medical ‘anxiety relief’ substance. Fogel notes he “met many” wounded Russian soldiers, likely when he was receiving medical treatment – because most consequential health services for high priority patients take place in Russian military affiliated institutions. I suspect this, because I accidentally ended up inside one last year, saw the same, and it makes sense.
“wrongfully detained in Russia” . . . why does it say that if he was breaking their laws?
That one has me stumped, too. How was he wrongfully detained for breaking Russian laws?
C’mon man…
Because Russia, Russia, Russia…
Wait …
Orange man…
No wait…
I mean Putin…
Hell with it…
That one has me stumped as well…
Lol and /s
Trust God.
Fear not.
It’s probably a caption from a commie outlet that somehow ended up in the pic. Cause smuggling grass into foreign countries should be legal, don’t cha know. /s
“wrongfully detained” is just a term of art in the diplomatic community. That’s when you know they’ll actually pay attention to you – maybe. Like graduating from “really bad people” to the formal designation of “foreign terrorist organization.” It triggers stuff.
I read somewhere that his mother was angry because Blinken wouldn’t give Fogel that designation, or something like that.
Lawsuit against Sec. of State claims Blinken failed to designate Marc Fogel as wrongfully detained
Updated: 7:22 PM EDT Jun 20, 2024
https://www.wtae.com/article/marc-fogel-lawsuit-blinken/61159246
_____
BUTLER, Pa. —
The mother of an Oakmont teacher arrested in Russia in 2021 is suing the Secretary of State.
Malphine Fogel filed a lawsuit against Antony Blinken and the United States Department of State.
The lawsuit claims Blinken has deprived Marc Fogel and his family members of the Levinson Act by not designating Fogel as wrongfully detained.
The Levinson Act provides “assistance for United States nationals taken hostage or unlawfully or wrongfully detained abroad and for other purposes.”
The lawsuit argues the secretary of state has also failed to disclose any valid reason for not giving Fogel the designation.
The lawsuit cites the release of WNBA player Brittney Griner, who was designated as wrongfully detained under the Levinson Act. Griner was returned to the United States in exchange for the Russian arms dealer known as the Merchant of Death.
It continues to say because she was designated as wrongfully detained, Griner’s family was able to receive added benefits under the Levinson Act.
“For years, the Department of State has actively deterred Marc Fogel’s family members from pursuing a Wrongfully Detained designation,” the lawsuit states.
The Levinson Act would provide a family engagement coordinator who would be able to, among other things, would be able to give the family consistent and accurate information from the United States government and answer questions from the Department of State.
The lawsuit also mentions Russian national Alexander Grigoriev who was sentenced to eight years for contraband and possession of 1.5 kilos of various narcotics.
One criteria pointed to in the Levinson Act to be enacted is: “the individual is being detained solely or substantially because he or she is a United States national.”
Possessing Marijuana is ILLEGAL in Russia.
Just for the record… It’s Federally illegal in the U.S. and most states also. The difference? We
don’tselectively enforce our laws.26 states have approved marijuana in some form. In my opinion it is a useful plant. I’m sure Big Pharma does not like the idea of common folk growing their own medicine. What would Mucinex do if people realized that a tea of thyme, lemon, and honey has much the same effect?
Marijuana can replace a range of painkillers and (apparently) some psychotropic medications.
HOWEVER, if a country has banned possession of a particular substance, it is beyond foolish to take that substance into that country. If you need the substance to function, stay home.
Our family cared for my parents in our home until they passed away. The drug list for Mom kept growing, she couldn’t sleep, saw demons, became very mean and was in intense pain.
We replaced all the Rx drugs with a small dose of cannabis beverage twice a day. No more talking to demons, limited pain, slept well, great appetite and regained her normal sweet personality. Died peacefully in her sleep at 97.
Not claiming it’s a cure all, but there is no question it can be very useful. We don’t trust the Rx companies, the forced use of the Mrna jabs ended any thought they have any connection to a “health” industry.
Wow! More and more I am hearing stories like this! I am glad that your mom was allowed some peace before the end. I really think there is more good than bad in marijuana.
Agreed. My post wasn’t about right/wrong, good/bad or should be’s. As you noted in your closing paragraph my post was about what is. If you fly into an airport in the U.S. and customs is searching you/your luggage AND they find some MJ… you have a problem. No, won’t be as severe as in Russia but it won’t matter what state it happens in either.
True. Best to leave the weed in its legal state for now.
It doesn’t seem to matter which media outlet is doing the “reporting” these days. Sensational opinion always seems to take president over the facts.
Potheaded religious zealotry.
It’s probably a screen shot from some very stupid MSM source. The MSM thinks every person who agrees with their left wing politics is a victim of the system. “Wrongfully detained” was their prescribed taking note to parrot.
https://www.newsweek.com/russia-state-department-marc-fogel-wrongfully-detained-2006762
Look at the date and consider the administration in place and their motives.
The U.S. Department of State’s designation of “wrongfully detained” prompts the U.S. government to begin actively working to negotiate someone’s release, and Fogel’s supporters have sought the designation since his arrest.
A: sue, that is a headline written by the #ProfessionalLiar Media. They still wish to sow discord between our Peoples and our presidents.
During the Russia Hoax, Dirty Bob and Andrew Wiseguy would stir up hate any time PDT and Pres. Putin were about to meet. They would use the Hoax to indict some innocent Russians so as to influence American Foreign Policy against Russia.
That is because they were already planning to overthrow our Rightful President and manipulate this wicked war into existence with NATO Expansion, for Genocide, for Oligarchy and for Empire. They’re quite mad, you know.
BTW, they could have just as easily used “China, China, China!”, but it would not have provided an excuse for their Endless War. Besides, they would never offend their Chinese Owners.
I pray President Putin will explain to our President how this war was created by the same people who overthrew him. Indeed, they overthrew him for the very purpose of starting this War.
Medical marijuana is a joke. The CBD carbinoids are availabe in hemp without the addictive properties. Fogel merely proves once again Lefties liberal programming will forever blind their senses. Thinking you can import vestages of your ideology into countries that prohibit it is guarantee of prison.
“taught history for almost a decade, mostly to the children of diplomats, at the Anglo-American School in Moscow.”
And Fogel was unaware of Russia’s strict drug laws?
Thank God for President Trump. I’m glad Marc is home. Was he carrying a can of Iron City Beer? Good for him!
For many Pennsylvanians, getting Marc Fogel home already justifies their vote for President Trump.
YES….Being a Pennsylvanian, I certainly agree!
Promise made.
Promise kept.
Maybe it was IC beer or maybe Yuengling.
Yuengling is just great beer, especially their Black and Tan. Alas, it isn’t available where I live, so I settle for Shiner.
Had me 2 Black and Tans last night!
That’s what I was thinking, too. Being from PA, it could have been a can of Iron City beer 🙂
Fogel was pictured carrying a beer from Iron City Brewing Company
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14387449/Donald-Trump-secures-long-awaited-release-American-prisoner-Marc-Fogel-Russia.html
He was clearly happy but also may a little drunk? Welcome home and be careful with national laws.
I think that is the first time I have ever seen a White House press event where somebody was holding a can of beer!
That last sentence: “I suspect this, because I accidentally ended up inside one last year, saw the same, and it makes sense.”
Hark Ye, Ahab….a little lower layer?
Hoping it was on the interview side and not the other option?
great that another will be released as well.
Well, thank the Baby Jesus. TY for the swift reply
😉
“Ever seen the inside of a Turkish prison, Joey?”
Now that’s funny!
Rumor has it that incident was based on a real story, part of one of little Joey Robinette Shitferbrainz ‘s most formative experiences.
When I arrived at Incerlik AB, Turkey, for our incoming briefing at midnight, we were informed by the base commander that if we did ANYTHING illegal and/or injurious to any living thing (including running over a chicken), much less get caught with “substances,” off base to make our way immediately to the the runway and they would put us on the first plane going anywhere!
“Pennsylvania schoolteacher” says it all.
They have a belief system that doesn’t exactly correspond with reality.
Lucky you didn’t get arrested, for being a spy.
Exactly!
phew 😅!
Yeesh!
I bet the pucker factor had to be a little high, when you realized where you were!
I have to say, you have some serious guts. Doing what you do.
Im going to guess the Russians actually like you, and wouldnt detain you. Because you know, you tell the truth….
Yikes!
Nice of you to be there for a friend.
👏 👏
This raises all kinds of questions
“most consequential health services for high priority patients take place in Russian military affiliated institutions. I suspect this, because I accidentally ended up inside one last year, saw the same, and it makes sense.”
🧐
Marc Fogel literally kissed the ground upon returning to the U.S. after three years of being wrongfully imprisoned in Russia.
Except… he wasn’t “wrongfully imprisoned.” Americans that have never lived overseas for extended periods don’t seem to understand that many countries have far harsher rules than the U.S. when it comes to drugs. And when you bring drugs into those countries and get caught, you are “rightfully” imprisoned. Bottom line is this guy would NOT be back if Kamalalala were in the WH.
The Official Rapid Response account of the Trump 47 White House claims Fogel was “wrongfully detained”..)
_____
WATCH: Marc Fogel, an American citizen freed after being wrongfully detained in Russian since 2021, speaks at the White House — his first remarks on American soil.
WELCOME HOME! 🇺🇸
I don’t care what it says. The bottom line is you go into a foreign country and break their laws, they lock you up, and they are right to do it. Should we just let any of the trash that has come across our border do whatever they want, even if they break our laws? If we put them in prison pending deportation, are they “wrongfully detained?” Borders matter.
“When I saw [Marc Fogel’s] mother at a rally, she said, ‘If you win, will you get my son out?’ I promised her—she’s 95 years old—and I said, ‘We’ll get him out,’ and we got him out pretty quickly.” –President Donald J. Trump
I am glad that his 95-year old Mother lived to see her son back home . . .
but the “wrongfully detained” part irks me.
Oh stop. Yes. They had a right to lock him up.
You can’t be happy that a guy who was stupid and took his medical marijuana to Russia has been freed after spending 3+ years in prison????
Get off your high horse and enjoy the moment. Sleep well knowing that our government might help you out too if a foreign government gets overzealous in punishing you someday.
Sorry Elle, they were not overzealous. They were simply enforcing their laws which is something that our country has done very little of since 2008. Except of course if you were a conservative. I am also not happy that a guy that is stupid is also a schoolteacher.
Marc Fogel had a prescription for medical marijuana.
Marc Fogel was absolutely wrongfully detained and imprisoned.
Marc Fogel didn’t bring “drugs” into Russia, he brought in PRESCRIBED MEDICATION.
Some people twist anything; it’s unbelievable.
Geeeeeeeeeez.
Marc Fogel’s family’s pleas to the Caligula Brandon Regime for his release were ignored for years.
The Caligula Brandon Regime traded Brittney Griner (convicted of smuggling) for Viktor Bout, an international arms broker.
I just posted some of the details on this page a few minutes ago.
o.0
Aug. 2, 2022: Then-Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Greene, co-lead a letter to then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken requesting he “immediately classify Mr. Fogel as wrongfully detained.”
Aug. 23, 2022: Then-Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., and other lawmakers urge the U.S. State Department to escalate Mr. Fogel’s status to “political prisoner.”
June 18, 2024: Ms. Fogel sues the State Department, accusing Mr. Blinken of treating her son and his case differently than those of other Russian detainees.
Dec. 27, 2024: A filing in Ms. Fogel’s lawsuit against the State Department reveals that Mr. Fogel has been officially designated as “wrongfully detained.” An attorney says the family found out about the designation in mid- to late-October.
https://www.post-gazette.com/news/world/2025/02/11/marc-fogel-russia-timeline/stories/202502110092
Thank you for the details.
Blinken is such a disgusting W A R P I G.
^^^^^ Another K Mafia cheerleader for the Ukraine/Globalists.
o.0
Look, I’m glad the guy is out. Personally, I think prison time for pot possession is ridiculous.
BUT – that’s here in America.
The Russians don’t recognize “medical marijuana” as legitimate.
Hence, it is a crime to bring marijuana into Russia, no matter what you think about its supposed medical nature.
Why is it so hard for people to understand that other countries have different laws from our own?
He was NOT wrongfully detained or imprisoned according to Russian law, which is all that matters here.
He WAS stupid for smuggling pot into Russia. President Trump just got him out of his stupidity.
Excellent comment! You put it very well!
Fogel was officially designated as “wrongfully detained ” in the United States!
It’s a legal designation when American citizens are incarcerated in a foreign country regardless of their guilt in that country …
Its a crime in many countries.Eg Dubai/UAE
Its a crime to have any trace of poppy seeds on your clothes in Dubai–even if you ate a poppy seed bagel at Heathrow airport as one guy found out
Its a crime to bring codeine and any opiates into many countries even if you have a prescription.
https://www.express.co.uk/travel/articles/1087485/dubai-holidays-2019-dubai-uae-laws-jail-poppy-seed-bagel-drug
The Levinson Act (22 U.S.C. 1741, enacted December 27, 2020) establishes a framework for wrongful detention determinations and codifies entities created by Executive Order 13698 and Presidential Policy Directive 30 (see below), namely SPEHA, the Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell, and the Hostage Response Group to direct policy. It also mandates annual reporting to Congress on wrongful detentions, the creation of resource guidance for families, and authorizes discretionary sanctions against those responsible for or complicit in wrongful detention.
https://www.state.gov/u-s-government-response-to-wrongful-detention/
The Levinson Act was named after Robert Levinson who was an FBI agent and a DEA agent.
Robert Levinson went missing in 2007 in Iran while on some type of mission.
A video and pictures of him surfaced a few years later showing him to be held hostage.
Through the years over $25 Million was offered as a reward for his return.
About five years ago his family announced his presumed death.
o.0
Dec. 27, 2024: A filing in Ms. Fogel’s lawsuit against the State Department reveals that Mr. Fogel has been officially designated as “wrongfully detained.” An attorney says the family found out about the designation in mid- to late-October.
https://www.post-gazette.com/news/world/2025/02/11/marc-fogel-russia-
timeline/stories/202502110092
o.0
You can’t chararacterize it as smuggling if he made no attempt to conceal it. I don’t have information either way, but calling it smuggling may be just as skewed as “wrongfully detained.”
Does the Russian law say that it is all right that it is “medical marijuana” and that he had a prescript . . . but put him in jail, anyway?
Or is it that over in America he has a prescription and the “medical marijuana” is legal here in America . . . but isn’t legal in Russia?
“If you don’t have borders, you don’t have a country” is one of President Trump’s sayings that I have loved for a long time but then we need to respect the borders of other countries, I would think.
If Mr. Fogel was so sick that he HAD to use his prescription for “medical marijuana” that is legal in the USA but not in Russia, he should have not gone there.
Arguing with you people is not on my list of things to do.
Carry on.
o.0
Your hubris is showing. Please check with your handler for some finesse training. 👁️
Back at you.
“If Mr. Fogel was so sick that he HAD to use his prescription for “medical marijuana” that is legal in the USA but not in Russia, he should have not gone there.”
There’s a stench to this story that goes beyond Fogel’s reefer. Reminds one of the “gay” “married” couples who just HAVE to have their “wedding” cake made by a Christian baker.
The US Federal Government still has mary jane listed under Schedule 1.
It does not matter if he had a prescription in America. Pot is illegal in Russia. This man knew it and got caught. He had been living in Russia for a long time and was well aware of their drug laws. He gambled and lost.
Dummy should have kissed President Trump instead of the ground when he arrived back in the states.
That would be wrongfully detained in the USA. Russia doesn’t have to honor any prescription from the USA. He should have checked the laws and asked before entering.
But that prescribed medication is an illegal substance in the country he is entering, so perhaps he shouldn’t have gone there. Problem solved.
Those prescriptions are just a racket to sell pot to druggies.
I agree. I think that states that have approved MJ in any form have gone legal to pull in tax dollars. We all know that liquor is not good for our health, but it sure produces extensive tax revenue for the state governments.
If he had a prescription, he should have brought it with him and maybe we wouldn’t be talking about this.
Oh heck, I wouldn’t even try it on domestic flights.
Just yesterday I was reading about drug laws in the State of Mississippi. I guess since the allow legal dispensary facilities, they really throw the book at anyone with illegal drug possession and the punishment is rather harsh. Check it out. I know someone who obviously did not know that and is now caught up in their system. I’m no judge and I don’t possess anything, but it all seems like a way to drive customers to the facility where taxes are paid.
Did that when USCG reused my sorry butt !
The pic you posted is what our brave fallen patriots throughout our history have given their lives for.
Woo hoo 🙌 making America great! Welcome home and drink beer. Leave the sticky icky alone.
I know when I was released from prison, it was surreal, I can’t truly imagine what it has been like, for this stupid pothead, but hopefully nobody will think it is o.k. to take pot into a country where it is considered a narcotic.
It was medicinal. Don’t know all the story, so I’ll not comment!
The COVID-19 “vaccine” is medicinal, too. Mild depression is enough to trigger “medicinal” remedies in this era.
Ironically, if the clown had a dime bag and a blunt in his pocket while coming into a US airport, he would’ve gotten the full “drug smuggler” treatment, regardless of his “medical card”.
Mary Jane is still Sched. 1 federally, in the USA.
He was not “wrongfully detained” he broke the law.
While he seemed gracious and appreciative, I didn’t hear any apology for putting himself in a position that required anyone to save his hiney.
No, he didn’t. No accountability or responsibility for his actions. Look at all the top level people in USA, including the President, who had to clean up his mess.
Remarkable really that there are still yammering fools decrying the Herculean efforts of President Trump and his team.
Whether it be on the home front or internationally.
As I plonk away here I am seeing those pictures of Biden in his beach chair snoozing or being led around by his handlers, or shaking hands with “thin air”
Or the cackler that was 2i/c
Geesh…
When’s he going to go swimming with the sharks?
🥂
You misspelled people with legitimate concerns.
Sometimes, legitimate concerns are wrongfully detained.
Crossfire Hurricane 5: Build Back Burdens
https://rumble.com/v6jhn6a-tucker-carlson-explains-the-ukraine-scam-that-too-few-are-talking-about.html
From what I was able to find out, Marc Fogel had prescribed medical marijuana for chronic back pain.
The amount he brought into the country was .60 of an ounce.
President Putin pardoned Mark.
If I can find my other notes I’ll post the info.
Oh, and there is another American coming home from Russia tomorrow, according to Marco Rubio.
^Possibly Edward Snowden who was granted Russian citizenship.
o.0
Not Snowden. He doesn’t want to come back. Reference the Tulsi Gabbard confirmation hearing.
More likely a journalist. 😉
Cool.
It didn’t make sense for it to be Snowden, and yes, I will check out the TG confirmation hearing.
Which journalist do you think it will be?
I’ll have to go research all the ones who’ve been detained.
o.0
Evan Gershkovich, is the journalist charged and sentenced for espionage who was released last year.
Paul Whelan, also charged with espionage, is still over there.
George Webb wrote extensively on Paul Whelan. Something about Paul Whelan and his twin brother being spies, maybe one of them using reporting as a cover?
Hm, I remember bits and pieces about the Whelans from five or more years ago.
I’ll find it.
o.0
EDIT
I am r0ng. Paul Whelan came back, too.
o.0
Here’s the post I made earlier:
47FuzzySweaters
February 11, 2025 2:44 pm
Reply to OhNoYouDoNot
Marc Fogel is a schoolteacher from Butler, Pennsylvania.
Marc was arrested in August 2021 by Russian authorities for attempting to enter Russia with 0.6 ounces (17 g) of medical marijuana prescribed to him in the United States for chronic pain treatment.
He was sentenced to 14 years in prison in June 2022.
He had been living and working in Russia since 2012, teaching at the Anglo-American
School in Moscow.
Readers may recall a past prisoner exchange with Russia by the Caligula Brandon Regime wherein the infamous 6′ 9″ tall Brittney Griner, incarcerated on charges of smuggling and possession of cannabis, and serving a nine-year sentence, was traded for the notorious Viktor Bout, an international arms broker.
o.0
to bad FJB settled for a women/man basketball player instead of him.
That’s what I was trying to recall …. this poor man was left behind when our pathetic former president went to the matts only to bring back that oversized “girl” basketball player who probably hates our country. That was a disgrace. So happy for this moment and the Great Donald J Trump.
Probably under orders from Obama…..we all know how much he loves his transgenders.
because I accidentally ended up inside one last year, saw the same, and it makes sense
Talk about burying the lead Sundance….do tell!
This said, PDJT is absolutely knocking this term out of the park. All liberals will soon be on suicide watch if not already?!
Disregard Sundance, just saw your response(s) above. Probably the most unnerving MRI accompaniment ever?!
When I flew Singapore Air to Singapore, immediately before landing, the flight attendant announced it was the death penalty for drug use. That was 30 years ago. I just googled and that still stands.
No matter how we view other countries’ drug offenses, we do so from the drug riddled land we live in.
I recall the head of the incentive company I worked at (Delta’s largest incentive and commercial business at that time) saying, “When you travel to another country, you are their guest, the same as when you go into someone’s home and you should abide by their rules or not visit their country.”
I think that advice should stand today also.
Our country has degraded to such a low level that we can’t see the value in a high standard. Sad.
(Reposting)
Yep Singapore doesnt allow any drugs in, even with a prescription
I have to wonder how disconnected to the world one has to be to think it is okay to travel anywhere with marijuana without researching your destination to confirm the legality?
Apparently he had been living there over 10 years…
wonder
“Smoke Crack Better” – Barry Seal
Welcome home Marc!
People have to understand when you go to other countries,
you are subjected to THEIR laws.
If marijuana is illegal there, it is a crime.
Other countries have the right to enforce their laws.
They do NOT acknowledge our laws or our doctor prescriptions.
Marijuana should be ILLEGAL here.
On the FEDERAL level it is ILLEGAL
At the STATE level it varies by state.
I once had a magistrate tell me that ignorance was no excuse for breaking the law.
i hope he learned his lesson.
lesson
“We’re not investigating the FBI because law enforcement cannot commit a crime.”
https://rumble.com/v4y85n2-were-not-investigating-fbi-because-law-enforcement-cannot-commit-a-crime.html
Crossfire Hurricane 4: In Crowdstrike We Trust
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2025/02/10/tom-homan-confirms-fbi-likely-tipped-off-california-criminal-aliens-to-avoid-deportation-sweep/
Snowden next?
Who are the Americans still in Russian custody? ·
Ksenia Khavana
Stephen Hubbard
Travis Leake
Gordon Black
Robert Woodland
David Barnes.
Robert Gilman
Eugene Spector
Joseph Tater
https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/ap-who-are-the-americans-still-in-russian-custody/
Ksenia Khavana-she’s the one who donated money to a charity that helps the Ukraine.
Stephen Hubbard– 72 years old, convicted of serving as a mercenary for the Ukraine.
Travis Leak-51 year old musician and music producer and former paratrooper, arrested on suspicion of organizing drug trafficking.
Gordon Black-US Army ssgt based in S Korea detained in May 2024 on suspicion of stealing
money from his Russian girlfriend and threatening to kill her.
Robert Woodland (Romanov?)-Born in Russia, adopted by an American family, moved back to Russia, arrested on charges of attempting to sell drugs, sentenced to 12.5 years in July 2024.
David Barnes-66 years old, traveled to Russia in Jan 2022 to meet with his two sons after their mother, a Russian national, took them to Russia following their divorce, alleged abuse took place in Houston TX.
Robert Gilman-30 year-old former U.S. Marine, initially sentenced to four and a half years, reduced to 3 1/2 in a Russian penal colony in 2022 for attacking a police officer while drunk,
then Sept 2023 and October 2023, while serving, he allegedly assaulted prison guards and an investigator and got more charges.
Evgeny Eugene Spector– 52 year old Russian-born U.S. citizen, sentenced to 15 years in a high-security prison in Russia for espionage in Dec 2024, already serving a 3 1/2 year sentence for bribery, was charged with espionage in Aug 2023. owned a medical supply company in Russia, in 2020 he was accused of acting as an intermediary in a bribery case involving an assistant of Russia’s former deputy prime minister and pleaded guilty, no details on espionage charges.
Joseph Tater– detained on Aug 12 2024 for alleged petty hooliganism, subsequently assaulted a police officer, leading to a separate criminal case, Sept 26, 2024, a Russian court denied his appeal against his arrest for assaulting a police officer.
There are more details in various news articles.
o.0
Sundance said Edward Snowden didn’t want to come back and referenced the Tulsi Gabbard confirmation hearing.
o.0
Build Back Pardons
“The last time we heard a White House considering a pardon was 2016, when the very same Attorney General who once charged me conceded that, on balance, my work in exposing the NSA’s unconstitutional system of mass surveillance had been “a public service.”
https://x.com/Snowden/status/1294226668412899328
The guy took pot into Russia. SMH.
If he put it in a syringe and called it a vaccine, they might have sent him to a Wuhan work camp.
They make Fauci dolls with injection accessories in China too.
It’s wonderful to see him home again. He looks so happy. I hope he enjoys some special time with his mother and the rest of his family.
I wonder also about the Marine they’ve had in prison and if he’ll be released.
Anyone wanna take bets that he still votes democratic come the next election?
Teacher + public school system + stupid enough to enter Russia with illegal drugs = you figure it out.
I wouldn’t want him teaching my kid in school.
democratic
Make Education Soviet Again
https://rumble.com/v6ipbav-democrat-lawmakers-tried-to-bully-their-way-into-the-department-of-educatio.html
Although i think the punishment was harsh, I have a hard time giving any remorse. Break the laws of another country and pay they dues. It’s not like I took a chance with his life. He made a choice. He should be very thankful Trump got him released.
Liz made a choice. She should be thankful for her pardon.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/damn-right-liz-cheney-s-past-usaid-employment-faces-backlash-after-lashing-out-at-elon-musk/ar-AA1yxOiY
“Build Back Heroes” – Robert DeZero
https://rumble.com/v6bvgra-biden-pardons-those-who-committed-perjury-on-j6.html
Glad for the Fogel family. Glad MAGA team pocketed some political capital.
Funny how Trump wanted to gently hustle him off the world stage into the Lincoln bedroom.
Next! 😎✝️😎
We should send the elites to Veterans clinics and hospitals. I bet it would changer for the better pronto!
So if you need a medication that is illegal in a particular country, just don’t go there.
Someone hand this teacher a book on common freakin’ sense. I expect more from a teacher. A WNBA star, yeah.. whatever, I wasn’t surprised.
He brought it willingly/knowingly and was either too careless to check the laws, or disregarded them. Neither is a good look. I don’t like the wasting of political good-will over drug using dips.
I don’t care that it is ‘medicinal’ (ya right, bruh!), find an alternative for when you travel… it’s that simple.
I’m happy for him and his family.
However, only a real dope would carry dope into a Russian airport. He’d been in Russia for years, so ignorance of the law was no excuse.
I wonder how much USAID (CIA) grant money went to the school he taught at in Moscow and what this was actually all about.
From Wikipedia:
He was a history teacher at international schools in Colombia, Malaysia, Oman, Mexico and Venezuela. He had lived and worked in Russia since 2012, teaching at the Anglo-American School of Moscow. He was arrested in August 2021 by Russian authorities for trying to enter Russia with 0.6 ounces (17 g) of medical marijuana.
AAS Moscow, formally known as Anglo-American School of Moscow in Moscow, Russia, was an independent, non-profit, co-educational, international day school catering for students between the ages of 4 and 18 (Pre-kindergarten to Grade 12). On May 12, 2023, AAS announced that it would permanently be closing the AAS NKO organization and not seek further pathways for future operations.
AAS Moscow was founded in 1949 to serve the educational needs of diplomatic children who could not attend Soviet schools at the time.
It was located a few miles northwest of downtown Moscow in the Pokrovskoye-Streshnevo District. AAS Moscow delivered an international standards-based curriculum aligned to recommendations of US professional associations.
AAS Moscow had approximately 250 students from 15 nationalities. 37% of the student demographic were Russian, 14% South Korean, 13.5% from the United States, 6% Indian, and the rest range from Israel, Turkey, Kazakhstan, China, and Colombia.
From question to DDG AI Assist about Russian drug laws:
Russian drug laws are strict, with possession of even small amounts of drugs considered a criminal offense. For cannabis, possession of up to 6 grams is an administrative offense, while larger amounts can lead to severe penalties, including imprisonment for up to 10 years for trafficking.
So, under Russian law he wasn’t “wrongfully detained” although the length of his sentence and his move to a labor colony was excessive due to politics.
Also, there is “exchange” in this wording:
Why would he bring any cannibis product to a country that prohibits it? he should rot in there prison
“[A]ccidently ended up inside one”….Wait, What?
Hospital, got it.
Life lesson. Don’t be naive or stupid.
Glad to hear Fogel is back home, and I hope everybody with a medical marijuana prescription will remember his story before they hop on an international flight. Weed is controversial enough here in the US, but most countries aren’t debating anything – to them, it’s just as bad as cocaine or heroin. You need to know that before you head out overseas.
Otherwise, I do hope Presidents Trump & Putin can reach an amicable agreement soon. Maybe Trump could gift Soros and his asshole son to Putin.
Let’s be realistic. He was imprisoned for over 3 years for some personal use pot. Seems a bit excessive. Granger only spent a few months before she was sprung.
frigging weed-heads.
Just who I want teaching my kids; a “medically dependent” teacher, using marijuana, traveling to Russia for some reason, but choosing to ignore their laws. Can people get more stupid?
In Trumps search for rare earth minerals in the region, which were already sold to several others …….or are now part of Russia…………..Trump comes home with this ‘smokin teacher, come Russian beer drinker’ and a promise for some ‘unobtainium-119‘.
Trump is sure shaking up the homeland mafia, but Putin, Xi, and soon Sultan Erdowan are trolling him on the foreign policy front left to him by the Blinkin’ & Silly-van Wizards.
Trump would have saved more face internationally……..had he just walk away quietly and left the locals to clean up the messes Blinkin’ & Silly-van created.
Medically prescribed or no, you have to be a moron to take weed into a foreign country.
Why do you think they call it dope, as the saying goes.
“Only dopes… use dope” /Sgt Stedanko
I’m sure everyone will agree with me that nothing decreases my anxiety like international travel. Especially when I can travel to countries that might not like Americans. The most relaxing place on earth is probably Tehran. /s
Fogel is a school teacher? No wonder our education system is in such bad shape. He’s not very bright, if you ask me.
I’m glad this foolish but harmless man is back where he belongs.
President Trump has compassion, where the “Biden” administration did not.
BFD … some pot head goes to a nation HE KNOWS outlaws his stash of (cough cough) medical weed … and we are supposed to have some sort of sympathy for his utterly ignorant stupidity??
OK … President Trump brought him home .. rah rah … this guys fellow weed huffers are happy … now get on with important stuff.
I traveled, worked as well as lived overseas for many years and it never ceases to amaze me how stupid and arrogant US Travelers behave, when I encountered them overseas .. and when the show up in the foreign nation without even doing just a little bit study concerning the laws (especially when it comes to things as serious as drugs of any type, which some nations seriously prosecute and others seriously prosecute for public show).
Its a simple guesture of good faith between the countries. showing grace and a want/need to ease tensions and move towards peace!
I’m sick of “medical marijuana”, such a con game!
Why is this information found only on this web-site?
The most important message is that President Trump is an adult who gets things done.
Not a smart man bringing a narcotic into another country. Russia had every right to through him in jail.
Taking recreational drugs, medically ordered or not, is stupid. Most countries do not recognize them as medicine. Nor does the federal government, Canada, and many others. I hope America didn’t have to give up too much to bring this idiot home.
Can we return to their home countries those “wrongfully detained” in US prisons?
The guy seems strange. Has some kind of speech impediment.
OK, it’s nice that Putin let him go, BUT come on, Mark…you can’t just waltz into a country carrying marijuana where it is illegal. I guess our teachers really are that stupid.
Russian Crypto Kingpin Freed By US In Marc Fogel Swap
Feb 12, 2025
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/russian-crypto-kingpin-freed-us-marc-fogel-swap
Alexander Vinnik, a 45-year old Russian man accused of running a money laundering operation using bitcoin, has been identified by The New York Times as the man released by the United States which enabled the return of American school teacher Marc Fogel, who had spent over three years in Russian prison.
“Vinnik operated BTC-e, once one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges. He was arrested in 2017 and detained at Washington’s request on suspicion of laundering $4 billion through the exchange,” Reuters has detailed.
Regarding what President Trump said last night about bringing another American home today, what if it isn’t someone who’s incarcerated?
Remember that woman who said in 2020 Caligula Brandon had s3xually assaulted her in 1993?
She started getting death threats and left out for Russia in the middle of the night.
She went to Russia, citing security concerns and I think she might still be over there.
She was granted Asylum and got her Russian citizenship.
Tara Reade.
Some sources say she is still in Russia and some said she came back to the United States last year.
Hm.
o.0
I thought she was still there. It should be safe for her to return to the US if she wants to. Maybe she likes it there.
Glad he’s home, but………..Well, let’s just leave it at “glad he’s home.”