Letters from Travis

29 June 2026. Dear President Donald J. Trump,

I joined the U.S. Air Force in 1989 at age 17, and while studying A/C & refridgeration tech. at the 3776th STUS rose to the rank of senior student leader ("red rope"), receiving three letters of commendation. Just prior to Desert Storm I left the Air Force under honorable conditions.

On May 25th, 2010 I moved to Moscow to begin what had ended up becoming a successful dual career in music and teaching English. All of that changed on June 6th, 2023 when 9 officers stormed my one-room apartment. I was beaten, tortured, forced to watch the sexual molestation of my fiancé, and ultimately set up by those officers. There are videos.

Within hours of my arrest, Russia's state-controlled media rewrote reality and paraded their latest victim. Among other outlandish and unsupportable claims, they (as well as the court's own Telegram channel) told the world that I was a combat veteran who served in Iraq as an Army paratrooper. You know perhaps better than I, Mr. President, the negative personal consequences that result from dishonest, toxic media and courts.

I have been your supporter since before the escalator ride with Melania. I recall your passion for repatriating wrongfully detained Americans expressed during countless rallies. My circumstance is yet another example of two very sad truths: (1) The well-documented practice here of fabricating cases against Americans, especially veterans, to pressure USG for any number of inappropriate purposes. (2) More collateral damage arising from the incompetence of the Biden administration, who then refused to lift a finger to help one of your people. He cared only about his supporters. Pure politics.

Steve Witkoff announced that he was on stand by to fly to Moscow pending the outcome of your 5/19/25 call with Putin. Then the 9-for-9 trade was revealed. That was 406 days ago. Since then my story has been on the cover of Rolling Stone and won the L.A. Press Award for Best Music Reporting of 2025. I doubt I could find the words to overstate the disappointment I experience every moment of every day that thus far my government has chosen not to publically acknowledge what they must already know, and that our 4th estate has endorsed by that award: "I Was Taken Hostage." Hopefully, Mr. President, my mom will turn 76 this year. After 1,120 days of this, I am in need of medical help. Please get me the hell out of here. Please.

Sincerely, Travis Leake

An Open Letter to President Donald Trump. 2.17.2025

I appreciate, Mr. President, that you are now busy fixing a broken America. Putting an end to a very bloody war which all sides agree would never have begun had the 2020 election gone as it should have. Yet, I feel compelled at this moment to bring my plight to your personal attention. I am among your earliest supporters, as your own website can confirm. This fact — without question — contributed meaningfully to the Biden administration's decision to abandon me here.

My name is Travis Leake. I am one of about a dozen Americans still rotting away in a Russian prison. It is unspeakably challenging to write to you without describing the depths of my victimization these past 623 days. I will defer to my legal team who can fill in the pertinent details. They are stunning.

On 6/6/23 I was targeted by known bad officers with the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. Street cops with a long history of misconduct. Looking for a way to save their careers. They were already being hunted by internal affairs for numerous similar complaints. They needed to arrest an American. Any American. I was beaten and tortured. Forced to watch the sexual molestation of my fiancée in our home. The only evidence against me was proven brought by those officers and planted, and was allegedly found during a search proven illegal.

My trial was pure railroading. All defense motions to include evidence and call witnesses were denied. We implored the court to look at the evidence. The judge based his verdict not on the facts, but only on abstracted portions of the testimony of my co-defendant ex-girlfriend, the prosecution's only witness. Yet, in testimony, she revealed that she had been promised a light sentence to invent charges. Testified I was setup. Saw my injuries. redacted

The U.S. embassy was there. Saw it. They were also there when she said she'd never tell the court the whole truth about my being setup. A U.S. State Dept officer overheard it all, stunned at her admission. Three weeks later the August trade took place. I was left behind like the deplorable garbage they consider me to be.

Mr. President, this ordeal is yet another example of the collateral damage that resulted from the incompetence of the previous administration. Their decisions and policies fostered an unnecessarily adversarial environment conducive to this type of misconduct. It is my hope, and my family's, that you will agree it is long past time for my Designation as a Wrongfully Detained American. And, that it would be most appropriate to now prioritize my repatriation.

With Respect, Travis Leake

7/18/26 – Hredacted

(#1) I want to thank everyone who has visited this site, taken the time to learn the facts, shared the link, and spread the word. My family and I have been through a lot these past 3 years and counting. And while we have specific reasons to feel hopeful, the fact remains that I am still not free. It's not a simple thing getting the attention of the leader of the free world. Thus far we've failed, but haven't stopped trying. I've been writing to President Trump since 2023 when this all began, even before he had secured the Republican nomination for his current term. None of us can know what it will take to finally reach him, but I have faith that whenever that day comes, this nightmare will end in short order.

(#2) I've had no alternative but to watch Russian state news for the past 3 years. When I was kidnapped they were alluding to World War III. Once Trump took power all of that changed. Putin himself stated publically that the current relationship between the U.S. and Russia has now risen to such an unprecedented level that "greeting President Trump in Moscow for a state visit will demand more than simply sitting down for tea." Once President Trump learns the details and sees for himself the evidence of my case, he won't need more than a moment to know what to do. It is obvious. It is documented. It's on video, audio, in written form, and thus undeniable. He will be as outraged as he should be. He will call President Putin asking simply this: "Are you aware of what your people have been doing to my citizen?" They will have a brief discussion. They will make a deal. Then I will go home. I have a sneaking suspicion that those responsible for my setup weren't acting under executive orders. They're exactly what the Senior Investigator of their region's Investigative Committee called 'em, "bad cops." It's probable they'll soon learn what it's like living where they put me.

redacted Love, TRAVIS

(for you, and J.F.) 15 July 2026 – Day 1136. Hi Moredacted

(#3) I've lived long enough to have learned that most people have little time to devote to other people's problems. We all have our own lives and difficulties. My family and I are realistic enough to understand that a situation like mine can only be solved by those in our government entrusted with such responsibility. It can't be a simple task. The easiest thing, and most helpful thing, that you can do is to share this link. There's probably even a button somewhere on the page you're seeing now. If not, there should be. This can be your good deed for the day. //

(#4) There are many things going on now to try and bring me, as well as the others locked away in Russia, home. Some we are aware of as they are known publically, others we can only guess at based on logic and events. It's not easy. What we know for certain is that even Russia knows full well that my conviction was entirely baseless, procedurally illegal, and violent. Anyone with access to even my prison records knows that I arrived at the pre-trial prison from the police station on 6.9.2023 bruised, beaten, and bloody. Did I kick myself in the chest while handcuffed? Anyone who knows how to read can see the violations of police procedures for themselves committed by the arresting officers. Procedures designed specifically to prevent evidence planting. Even the judge knew, but was either unwilling or unable to follow his own laws and had to change materially, or outright delete numerous key pieces of testimony to defend a baseless verdict. We have the court audio to prove it. ● We don't need to guess, or ask for trust. // I love you, Travis

(Hi Mom, & J.F.) 7/19/2026 (#5) Not only was my arrest a pre-planned setup implemented by known bad cops, my court process nothing short of a primer on legal rights violations, obfuscation of evidence, testimony fraud, the ignoring of police misconduct and criminality, and objective, written violations by the judge of even Russian high court precedents, but there is also an undeniable diplomatic element that cannot be ignored. When examined in context it becomes clear that not only was my life stolen from me for illegitimate political purpose, but the desire of the USG not to essentially reward Russia's bad behavior is the last remaining barrier to my redemption; I'm being victimized on both ends for entirely inappropriate political cause. This is an impasse which only publicity and public outcry are likely to overcome. Here is a timeline of some of the major events relevant to this understanding:

• Dec. 2024 – Russian Deputy Aleksandr Overchuk goes on NBC saying Russia will not discuss prisoner trades until the U.S. helps them with Ukraine. The journalist is in shock.
• 5/19/2025 – The 9 for 9 prisoner trade is agreed to during a call between Trump & Putin
• Jun. 2025 – My story is on the cover of Rolling Stone, "I Was Taken Hostage."
• Jan. 2026 – That story wins the L.A. Press Award for Best Music Reporting of 2025
• Mar. 2026 – During an online chat hosted by the Foley Foundation, the USG publically links the prisoner exchange to Ukraine. This by itself is all the legal justification one needs to declare all of us Wrongfully Detained. It is criteria #1 of the Levinson Act.
• 4/29/2026 – Trump·Putin call about the prisoner trade.
• 5/5/26 & 5/8/26 – Rubio·Lavrov have calls. Rubio says in a Senate hearing that his discussions are about more than just Ukraine.
• 5/20/2026 – Exactly one year after the trade is agreed to, Russian media says Steve Witkoff will be in Moscow in the coming weeks. Coincidence?
• 6/14/2026 – Trump·Putin call, the media here says Witkoff coming in days.
• 7/4/2026 – Trump·Putin call, the media here says Witkoff preparing to come.
• 7/11/2026 – Russian Media (TASS) reports Witkoff's visit still on the agenda.
• 7/12/2026 – Witkoff says he's not coming as there's "no point."
• 7/16/2026 – New sanctions against Russia are passed by the U.S. Senate.

Can there be any doubt that we are diplomatic pawns? No. And this is the #1 legal condition according to U.S. law to declare someone wrongfully detained.

(#6) 8·1·2026 – DAY 1153|94 Two years ago today I watched Paul, Evan, and Alsu go home. Two of the three were sentenced after me, within days of me. I've always believed that Russia did that because they had assumed they made the wrongfulness of my situation so obvious, so blatant, so undeniable, that I would be included at the last moment. Yet, I'm still here. Three weeks prior to that trade, in the courtroom, a State Department officer overheard my co-defendant accuser, ex-girlfriend, loudly and unabashedly admit that she "will never tell the court the whole truth about my setup." That officer was only two feet away from me as she blurted out her confession. We were making eye contact. That officer's face was riddled with shock at the revelation. I said to that officer, "Now you're a witness." That officer nodded with their eyes. "Now, you know." "Don't worry," that officer said, "I got this." What was witnessed was included in an official state department report. Yet, the Biden administration was uninterested in my recovery. Likely because I was not a fan of either him, nor of the previous Democratic administration. Their decision to abandon a known innocent American in the Russian prison system is both unconscionable, and further justification of my distaste for 21st century identity politics. During my appeal, two State Department officers confirmed in their official reports on my court session that my civil rights were violated, to wit the state-provided translator was wholly incompetent, and reported opposite meanings in their discussions with said translator. That my entire ordeal is replete with consistent violations of basic human and legal rights cannot be disputed seriously. Those violations are not only confirmed by the transcripts and the audio recordings from court, the physical evidence which consists of a translator competency document wholly lacking any English-language proficiency of any kind, but also government generated U.S. State Department reports that (all) consistently indicate that at no point during my arrest, search, interrogation, arraignment, trial, appeal, and even extending to the legal documents I was provided by law, did the Russian government make more than a half-hearted and insincere effort to ensure that I understood what was going on. Watch the video from June 8th 2023 that the police forced me to make. I said, "I don't even know what I'm accused of doing." It took months to even begin to understand the specifics. When we proved in court that it was nonsense, the judge closed his eyes to objective, hard evidence, deleted key testimony (that was) in my favor, and excused (or ignored) mountains of police misconduct. Why am I still not publically declared wrongfully detained? What part was lawful? None of it.