Now Free, Ex-Marine Trevor Reed May Return to School, Work for Government

Former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed may be planning to return to college and launch a career with the federal government after spending nearly three years in a Russian penal colony.

Reed, 30, returned home on a flight that landed at a military air base in San Antonio, Texas, early Thursday morning. His release was secured as part of a prisoner exchange with Russian citizen Konstantin Yaroshenko, a pilot who had been serving a 20-year sentence on drug trafficking charges in Connecticut.

A statement from Reed's family that was shared with Newsweek on Wednesday thanked President Joe Biden for his "kindness" and "consideration" in agreeing to the prisoner exchange.

Reed's family went on to ask for privacy "while we address the myriad of health issues brought on by the squalid conditions he was subjected to in his Russian gulag." They added that Reed would "tell his own story" when he was ready.

Family spokesperson Jonathan Franks said in a statement to Newsweek on Thursday that he "wouldn't want to go beyond what his parents have already said," concerning Reed's future, while echoing the family by saying, "when Trevor is ready, it's his story to tell."

Reed went on a hunger strike while he was incarcerated to protest being placed in solitary confinement and not receiving adequate medical attention for issues that may have included tuberculosis.

While Reed's immediate future likely involves tending to his health concerns and readjusting to freedom, his parents Joey and Paula Reed have suggested that his long-term plans may include completing a college degree and working in the federal government.

Reed previously studied international relations and Russian language at the University of North Texas in Dallas, according to the Associated Press. His parents told the outlet that he had asked to be sent college books while he was in prison.

Joey Reed also said that he and his son were looking forward to watching the coming Tom Cruise film Top Gun: Maverick, the sequel to 1986's Top Gun, which is set to be released next month after a nearly three-year delay.

"I was still in Russia when they were supposed to come out," Joey Reed said, referring to time spent visiting his son in Russia. "And then they delayed it. And I said, 'Trevor, they're delaying this movie until you get out.' And that's exactly what has happened."

The former Marine was arrested and imprisoned during a 2019 trip to visit his Russian girlfriend's family and to study the Russian language. Russian authorities claimed that he assaulted a police officer while being driven to a police station following a night of heavy drinking.

Reed was sentenced to nine years in prison. His family maintained his innocence, while officials in the U.S. said Reed had been unjustly detained.

Biden said in a statement on Wednesday said that Reed's return was "a testament to the priority my Administration places on bringing home Americans held hostage and wrongfully detained abroad."

The president said that his administration would work to release other Americans from Russia including another former Marine, Paul Whelan, who is currently imprisoned on espionage charges, so that they could "join Trevor in the loving arms of family and friends."

Update 4/28, 11:03 p.m. EDT: This article has been updated to include a statement from Reed family spokesperson Jonathan Franks.