Trevor Reed released from Russia, returns home to North Texas
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Former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed, of Fort Worth, has been released as part of a prisoner exchange with Russia, where he had been detained since 2019.
Why it matters: Reed was sentenced to nine years in prison by a Moscow court in 2020 after being arrested for allegedly assaulting two police officers. His family and the U.S. government said the charges were false and politically motivated, reports Axios' Jacob Knutson.
Flashback: Reed's family stood outside along Joe Biden's motorcade route hoping to get the president's attention during his March visit to Fort Worth.
- Biden said he couldn't stop the car but pointed to the family and later called them promising he would arrange a meeting with them, per the Star-Telegram.
- Reed's parents traveled to Washington and held up signs outside the White House. They were called to visit with the president, who said, "We're working, don't get your hopes up too high," the family said.
Details: Reed was released by Russia in exchange for Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian citizen serving a 20-year sentence after being found guilty of conspiracy to smuggle more than $100 million worth of cocaine into the U.S., Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Telegram.
- "The negotiations that allowed us to bring Trevor home required difficult decisions that I do not take lightly," Biden said in a statement.
What they're saying: The Reed family said their son is on his way back to the U.S. but will need time before he shares his story.
- "We’d respectfully ask for some privacy while we address the myriad of health issues brought on by the squalid conditions he was subjected to in his Russian gulag," the family said in a statement.
The big picture: Reed was one of at least three high-profile cases of an American being held in Russian prisons.
- WNBA player Brittney Griner was detained in February on drug charges, and former Marine Paul Whelan, who was detained in December 2018 on spying charges, was sentenced to 16 years in prison in June 2020.