PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Marc FogelA Pennsylvania man jailed in Russia has been labeled “unjustly detained,” according to a U.S. State Department spokesman.

That designation was made official by the US government in October.

Fogel is currently serving a 14-year sentence in Russia for possession of medical marijuana.

Who is Marc Fogel?

When the Butler County native and his wife returned to Russia in August 2021 for their 10th and final year of teaching in the country, Marc Fogel was detained at the Moscow airport after his family said he was carrying 17 grams of medical cannabis for the treatment of chronic back pain.

An Oakmont teacher was convicted of drug trafficking and drug possession and sentenced to 14 years in a maximum-security penal colony in Russia.

Fight to bring Marco Fogel home

Since he’s been in jail, Marco Fogel’s family and deputies have been calling on deputies to bring him home.

In 2022, thousands of people signed a petition calling on the US government to do more to bring him home. Legislatorsincluding Pennsylvania Senators Bob Casey and John Fetterman and US Representative Guy Reschenthaler also pressured President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to label his imprisonment as wrongfully detained.

In December 2022, the US and Russia agreed to a prisoner exchange that included WNBA player Brittney Grinerbut Marc Fogel was not involved in the business.

In August, another prisoner exchange between Russia and the US brought home all the Street Journal reporters Evan GershkovichMarine veteran Paul Whelan and a Russian-American radio journalist Alsa Kurmashevabut not Marc Fogel.

When President Biden was asked about Marc Fogel in August, he said, – We are not giving up on that.

An attempt was made to include Fogel in the Aug. 1 deal, but officials were unable to make it happen.

Malphine Fogel, mother of Marc Fogel, has previously criticized the Biden administration because she did not bring her son home.

“Maybe I’m on borrowed time,” Malphine Fogel told KDKA-TV in July. “I don’t know how much time I have. I want to get home while I still know him.”

What does unfairly detained mean?

Wrongly detained is a label that puts with the full force of the US government behind securing the release of prisoners.

According to the US Department of Stateonce a person is determined to be wrongfully detained, offices “across the State Department and other US government agencies will work with colleagues inside and outside government to develop a strategy to secure their release.”

Obtaining a ruling is very rare, as most arrests or detentions of Americans abroad “arise from legitimate law enforcement and judicial processes,” according to the government.

Malphine Fogel sued the government in June in an attempt to bring his son home from Russia.

What happens next with Marc Fogel?

Once the Secretary of State designates someone as wrongfully detained, the US government is required by law to work for their release and can impose sanctions against the country holding them.

It also means the case is being transferred to a division known as the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, or SPEHA, which is focused on negotiating the release of detainees and hostages around the world.

But there is no clear time frame for how long it takes for someone to be freed.

KD Fabián and Caitlin Yilek contributed reporting.