Fogel was sentenced to 14 years in a Russian prison after he was arrested with cannabis product he says was prescribed for pain.
The family of , an American teacher imprisoned in Russia for attempting to bring medical marijuana into the country, is calling on WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was released Thursday by Russia, to draw attention to their case now that she is free.
Sixty-year-old Fogel and his wife were traveling to Moscow last summer to teach at an international private school there when he was arrested at the airport with under an ounce of cannabis product.
Fogel’s niece, Kelly Leguineche, told CBS News in a statement, «I am relieved Brittney Griner and her family are no longer suffering. I believe she deserved to come home.»
However, Leguineche added, «At the same time, I think there’s very little doubt that her fame also led the administration to prioritize her return. This is not surprising. All we can hope is that she will come to understand this and feel a responsibility to advocate for the others, Marc Fogel and Paul Whelan, who were left behind.»
«I am hopeful that she will show compassion for us and use her platform to make sure they are not forgotten. I think that’s her duty,» she said.
In a prisoner-swap first by CBS News, Griner was returned home from Russian prison in exchange for Viktor Bout, an international arms dealer known as for conspiring to sell weapons to entities that planned to kill Americans.
