Marc Fogel turned 63 years old Sunday, July 28, still in a Russian prison.

Fogel is a Butler native who was a longtime teacher in Russia. He was arrested when returning to Russia in August 2021 after a search of his bag turned up a small amount of medical marijuana he’d been prescribed for back pain. He was arrested, tried and sentenced to 14 years in prison for drug trafficking.

Fogel has yet to be recognized by the Department of State as wrongfully detained, which his mother, Malphine Fogel, said has impeded progress in his case. Vicki Iseman, a spokesman for Marc Fogel and the Fogel family, said Malphine Fogel wants to keep her son’s name in the public consciousness as much as possible, in hopes that he will be released.