An American veteran,
wrongfully detained in Russia —
and still not home.
Michael “Travis” Leake — an American citizen and Air Force veteran — is serving 13 years in a Russian penal colony for a crime the trial record shows he did not commit. He is not famous. That is exactly why he needs you.
“I’m sorry I’m not a journalist. I’m sorry I’m not a basketball player. I’m sorry I’m not somebody that’s important. But what I’m not is a drug dealer — and there’s no reason for me to be here.“
— Michael “Travis” Leake, in his recorded appeal to President Trump
Washington looked away.
From the morning of his arrest, American newsrooms questioned the case against Travis Leake. Here are thirty seconds of the coverage.
Arrested for being American
Detained in Moscow, June 2023. The only direct testimony of motive: officers were “in a slight euphoria” at having an American to hand to the FSB.
A trial that fell apart
The star witness recanted on cross-examination. No fingerprints on the drugs. A clean post-arrest drug test. Convicted anyway — 13 years.
Framed, then paraded
Russian state TV cast him as a combat paratrooper running a drug ring. The truth: an HVAC mechanic who served 10 months in the Air Force and taught English in Russia.
Abandoned, not yet home
More than 1,100 days in custody — now at IK-6, a penal colony documented in detail by Russia’s own dissidents.
Congress wrote the Levinson Act to identify Americans held as leverage rather than for any real crime. Travis meets its criteria point by point.
Evidence of innocence
U.S. consular officers watched the star witness recant on cross-examination. No fingerprints. A clean drug test.
Held for being American
The only direct evidence of motive: officers’ “euphoria” at delivering an American to the FSB.
Russia broke its own laws
No independent search witnesses; a coerced confession admitted; exculpatory evidence vanished from the file.
A justice system that isn’t
The State Department’s own reports call Russia’s judiciary neither independent nor impartial.
Inhumane conditions
Beatings met with ridicule; solitary imposed on Travis after he was assaulted; untreated infection; extreme cold.
Due process destroyed
Our own diplomats reported the court interpreter “stated the exact opposite of Mr. Leake’s meaning.”
“My son writes me multiple times a week wondering why he hasn’t been designated. I would be very grateful if the government could revisit Travis’s case with fresh eyes, from scratch.”— Glenda Garcia, Travis’s mother
Travis’s family has spent three years asking one thing: that someone, finally, give his case a fair hearing on the facts.
We’re not asking you to take our word for it. The translated Russian court record is public here. The library is curated, not exhaustive — we withhold anything that could endanger Travis or those helping him.
The Defense’s Closing Argument
Travis’s Russian lawyer’s closing, translated and certified — a point-by-point demolition of the prosecution’s case, from inside the courtroom.
Download (PDF) →Key Russian Court Documents
The contradictions are in Russia’s own paperwork — the missing bundle, the non-existent address copied 22 times, the witness who saw nothing.
Download (PDF) →The Case for Designation
The request asking the State Department to formally recognize Travis as wrongfully detained — the whole argument, fact by fact.
Download (PDF) →Travis isn’t famous, so the pressure has to come from people like you. Start here.
Contact your representatives
Ask your Senators and Representative to urge the State Department to designate Travis Leake wrongfully detained and prioritize his release.
Find your Representative → Contact your Senators →Share his story
Every share makes him harder to ignore. Post with #BringTravisHome and tag your officials.
Share on X → Share on Facebook →Support the advocates
Learn how the United States brings wrongfully detained Americans home — and stand with the families doing this work.
Foley Foundation →No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Get the case one-pager and three things you can do this week.
Free Travis Leake is the public campaign to bring Michael “Travis” Leake home. It is led on behalf of his family — his mother, Glenda Garcia — by Lucid Public Relations. Jonathan Franks is the family’s spokesperson. We handle the press and public advocacy for the family. Press inquiries are welcome.
Travis Leake served his country. Now his country has to show up for him.
Day 1,103 · Bring Travis home.