Almost two years after he was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison, former Marine Trevor Reed was released Wednesday in a prisoner swap.
“Our family has been living a nightmare. Today, our prayers have been answered and Trevor is on his way back safely to the United States,” Reed’s family said in a statement.
Reed, a Texas native, was arrested in 2019 for allegedly assaulting a police officer after getting drunk at a party while visiting his girlfriend in Moscow. He was convicted of intentionally endangering the lives and health of the police officers and sentenced in July 2020.
But Reed and his family have denied any wrongdoing and the former Marine had reportedly been in failing health behind bars as he approached his 1,000th day in custody.
In exchange, the U.S. has freed Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot serving a 20-year federal prison sentence in Connecticut for conspiracy to smuggle cocaine into the U.S.
“Today, we welcome home Trevor Reed and celebrate his return to the family that missed him dearly,” Biden said in a statement. “Trevor, a former US Marine, is free from Russian detention. I heard in the voices of Trevor’s parents how much they’ve worried about his health and missed his presence. And I was delighted to be able to share with them the good news about Trevor’s freedom.”
