In August, 2021, Fogel entered Russia through customs at
Sheremetyevo Airport when 17 grams of
medical cannabis was found in his luggage. The substance had been prescribed to him in the United States to treat chronic pain, In August 2022, a bipartisan group of
United States senators lobbied for the State Department to designate Fogel as wrongfully detained. Fogel's family called on
Brittney Griner (who was imprisoned on similar charges but
released in a prisoner exchange in 2022) to speak out on his case. In 2022, following the Brittney Griner conversation, a petition was initiated on
Change.org, calling for Fogel's freedom and urging the Biden administration to designate him as wrongfully detained. As of September 7, 2023, it had garnered 22,455 signatures out of its 25,000 signature goal. Fogel was not part of the
2024 Russian prisoner exchange, though according to an American official there were ongoing conversations about his release. Fogel's family voiced their disappointment that Fogel had not been included in the exchange, implying his lack of notoriety to be the cause: "Marc has been unjustly detained for far too long and must be prioritized in any swap negotiations with Russia, regardless of his level of notoriety or celebrity." On August 1, 2024,
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan described Fogel as wrongfully detained, the first time a U.S. official had done so. In 2024, a short documentary about Fogel's case titled
Did You Forget Mr. Fogel? was released. On July 22, 2024, it was screened at the
United States Capitol for Senators
Bob Casey and
John Fetterman, as well as Representatives
Chris Deluzio,
Mike Kelly, and
Guy Reschenthaler. The documentary and its subsequent screenings were credited with significantly increasing public awareness of Fogel's imprisonment. == Release from detainment ==