Sen. John Fetterman was part of congressional delegation that made a trip to Turks and Caicos to discuss the release of five Americans, including one from Pennsylvania, being held on ammunition charges.
The individuals, including Bryan Hagerich from Somerset County, are being detained for carrying ammunition in their luggage when traveling to islands. The minimum sentence for the offense in Turks and Caicos is 12 years in prison, according to a U.S. State Department alert.
Senator Fetterman said Hagerich and the others were being held because they “inadvertently” had ammunition in their luggage. Fetterman said after meeting with officials from the islands he was “optimistic that we can get this resolved.”
Hagerich, 39, was on his way back to the U.S. from a family vacation with his wife and children when he was arrested on Feb. 13 with 20 rounds of ammunition in his luggage, according to media reports. His wife told a Pennsylvania television station that the ammunition was leftover from a hunting trip.
Fetterman traveled to the British territory with Pennsylvania Rep. Guy Reschenthaler and other members of Congress from Texas, Oklahoma and Virginia.
“We had the opportunity to meet each of the detained Americans, who were in good spirits but want to go home,” he said. “These people did not set out to break the law. They are people who made a mistake and now face substantial time in prison because of it. As we articulated to TCI officials, I urge the court to be lenient when addressing this case.”
Last week Gov. Josh Shapiro and other governors wrote to the islands’ governor calling for the release of the individuals.
