VIDEO: Who Is Marc Fogel? American Teacher Released By Russia After 3.5 Years

Marc Fogel, a former diplomat and American instructor, was ultimately freed from Russian captivity after 3.5 years. Fogel was convicted of narcotics smuggling in 2021 and sentenced to 14 years in a Russian jail after being caught in possession of 17 grams of medically prescribed marijuana at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport. US President Donald Trump successfully negotiated the release of American teacher Marc Fogel, The prisoner swap involved exchanging Russian national Alexander Vinnik, who was convicted of money laundering and fraud, for Fogel's freedom. Former head of the BTC-e cryptocurrency exchange, Alexander Vinnik was arrested in 2017 in Greece and extradited to France and the US to face charges. He was convicted by a French court in 2020 and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering in a San Francisco federal court in 2024.