The world is celebrating after Marc Fogel’s years-long detention in the Russian prison system came to a close this week, with President Donald Trump securing his release.
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No one is more elated over the freeing of Marc Fogel, 63, than his mother, 95-year-old Malphine Fogel, who has intensely advocated for her son’s release.
Marc Fogel, an American teacher who taught history in Moscow, was serving a 14-year sentence after being found in possession of prescribed medicinal marijuana — a harsh rebuke that stunned his family.
Malphine Fogel told CBN News Thursday her faith in God sustained her throughout the horrific ordeal, especially as uncertainty abounded.
“Sometimes, there’s nowhere to go except on your knees,” she said. “We just prayed on regular intervals. We just put our faith in God — we really did. And it worked.”
Malphine Fogel reflected on the “shock” she experienced when her son was initially arrested nearly four years ago. Despite Russia’s troubling history, she said she still found the entire ordeal “outlandish” and surprising.
“It seemed that it would just blow over,” she said. “I never expected that it would go as far as it did. I just thought they would check all the facts and know that he was not a drug dealer with six or seven grams of marijuana, but they didn’t see it that way, I guess.”
Adding to the complexity was the fact that no one reached out to Malphine Fogel or her family to explain the situation or where the situation might go, leaving them in a limbo of sorts.
“There was really no way except through the prison to get any kind of news about Marc,” she said, noting the family was able to speak with him on a regular basis — something Marc himself called a “lifeline.” “We didn’t ask a lot of questions and he didn’t volunteer too much, but we at least were able to hear his voice.”
Malphine Fogel said the Biden administration, which presided over most of her son’s detention, didn’t push hard enough, in her view.
“I can’t say that I ever felt they were really trying very hard to get him out,” she said. “And I could be wrong about that, but that was the feeling I got.”
One of the most remarkable parts of Marc Fogel’s story centers on the now-infamous Butler campaign rally, where President Donald Trump was shot in the ear.
Malphine Fogel was at that event and met with Trump before gunshots rang out.
“I was with some other women who were politically connected and they made sure that I was going to get to see President Trump,” she said. “I was in a tent with maybe 18 or 20 other people who … had audiences with the president.”
The elder Fogel said Trump was “very congenial” and kind. She was limping due to a knee problem and he told her to take his arm, which she did. That’s when she, once again, advocated for her son.
“And we talked and he asked me about Marc,” she said. “He was really interested and concerned about him. And he told me on three different occasions during that conversation … if he won the election, ‘I will get Marc out.’ And I said, ‘Well, you can’t forget his name.’ And he didn’t. I think he kept his word all around.”
Not long after, the attempted assassination unfolded and chaos ensued. After the dust settled, Malphine Fogel said she believed Trump would keep his word and bring her son home — an event that came to fruition this past Wednesday.
Malphine Fogel said Marc Fogel is in the U.S. and was being brought to San Antonio, Texas, to a medical center for review, though she didn’t have specific details. According to CBS News, he might be taking part in a program called Post Isolation Support Activities to help him readjust after detainment.
The loving mother is unsure when she’ll see her son, but hopes to reunite with him very soon.
As for Marc Fogel, he expressed intense gratitude once he arrived back on American soil this week, CBN News reported.
“I feel like the luckiest man on Earth right now,” he said. “I want you to know that I am not a hero in this at all. And President Trump is a hero. These men that came from the diplomatic service are heroes. The senators and representatives that passed legislation in my honor to get me home are the heroes.”
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