Washington, D.C. – Today, a Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) judge announced a 52-week suspended sentence for Bryan Hagerich of Somerset County, PA. Hagerich, who had been detained in TCI for approximately three months for inadvertently carrying small amounts of ammunition in his luggage, will be released today and is set to return home to Pennsylvania. Senator Fetterman released the following statement in response:
“This is great news. Bryan is coming home to his family. It was an honor to meet Bryan and the other detained Americans in TCI this week.
“When we met with TCI officials a few days ago, they made clear that they wanted this situation resolved. They recognized that Bryan and the other detained Americans are not gunrunners – they are just people who made a mistake. I’m grateful that the judge recognized that the right thing to do was to send Bryan home. I’m also grateful to the U.S. State Department which has been a critical partner in bringing Bryan home.
“I’m hopeful that TCI expedites the rest of these cases and that the other detained Americans will soon be released and reunited with their families as well.”
Hagerich is one of five Americans detained in TCI for carrying small amounts of ammunition in their luggage. Senator Fetterman last weekend traveled to Turks and Caicos to meet with the detained Americans and discuss their cases with TCI officials.