Marc Fogel's mother wants to meet with Donald Trump about her son's case

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Marc Fogel's mother hopes to land a meeting with former President Donald Trump, who is coming to Butler County for a rally this weekend.

Fogel, a Butler County native, has 11 years remaining on a 14-year prison sentence in Russia for bringing a small amount of medical marijuana into the country. Malphine Fogel hopes Trump can put the spotlight back on the case.

A waiting game

Malphine Fogel waits for a call every Sunday, hoping for a call from her son.

"I'm always glad to hear his voice," she said.

Those calls now come from a Russian hospital.

"They are giving him injections for his back problems and who knows what else," Malphine Fogel said.

She said her son's health is declining.

"I worry, I try not to let myself think about it," she said.

Malphine Fogel said her son has a wife and adult children who are struggling. As for her, at 95 years old, she wants him back before it's too late.

"I might be on borrowed time," Malphine Fogel said. "I don't know how much time I have. I want to come home while I still know him."

Just increasing her urgency to bring Marc Fogel home , she'd hoped for assistance from President Joe Biden.

"I don't think the administration has helped us one bit," Malphine Fogel said.

She is now turning to Trump.

"I'm hoping that if he hears our story, then he'll put it out there, and I hope he shames the Biden administration," she said.

WNBA star Brittney Griner was arrested for the same thing Marc Fogel was. Griner was eventually released in a prisoner swap while Marc Fogel still sat in prison.

"They have never designated him as being wrongfully detained, and that is the most critical part of this whole story," Malphine Fogel said.

Trump will be at the Butler County Farm Show grounds for a rally on Saturday.

"I have a T-shirt that somebody designed and we're hoping to take them to Trump's rally on Saturday," Malphine Fogel said.

She's working with someone with political connections to set up a meeting with Trump. Nothing is set up yet, but she wants this all to lead to her son coming home.

"We just want him back," she said. "However, whatever it takes we want him back because time might be running out, and he feels that too."

Not just for her, not just for him, but for his family.

"It's been three years, and those three years are irretrievable," Malphine Fogel said.

Malphine Fogel is also suing the U.S. government to get a wrongfully detained designation for her son

KDKA-TV reached out to the White House for comment but did not hear back on Thursday.