The US Embassy

This page talks about the support or more honestly the serious LACK of support I received from the US Embassy and State Department. There are letters from me to Head of Consular Operations and to Secretary of State Marco Rubio as well as a response from the State Department.

Public Service Announcement: I am not interested in POLITICS; I am ONLY interested in coming Home to see my family! My issues are with the U.S. State Department and ONLY the U.S. State Department.

After my bail release, I learned what had happened. I quickly called the U.S. Embassy to share my story and ask for guidance. They said, “Get a Lawyer.” I asked if they could help, and they replied, “We can’t recommend anyone, but we can send you a list of lawyers in Doha.” I said please do, and they sent it. The list seemed like a simple Google search for “Lawyers in Doha.” Plus, it was from 2017! The Embassy and the State Departments stance on assisting me through all of this has been very, very consistent... NOPE!

My family and I kept the embassy updated during all the court cases. When I went to prison, we told them right away. A few days after I went to prison, the embassy sent Phil. He had just arrived in Qatar two weeks earlier. He met with me to discuss paperwork my father sent for me to sign. Phil also explained what help they could offer while I was in prison. On the "help" they would be "able" to provide, I was told that if:

I was having health problems; they would help (you'll see how that worked out)
I was being abused; they would help out (I'm not discussing that on here)
I was being treated differently from other prisoners; they would help (HAHAHAHA)

My father sent a power of attorney document. It needed a notary stamp. The Embassy offers this service for $50.00. I felt scared. A foreign country had just imprisoned me for a crime I didn’t commit. This was my only priority. During our chat, I tried to explain things, but Phil kept focusing on his concern. He mentioned the $50.00 notary fee three times in 20 minutes!! Needless to say, this did not get us off on a good start.

In December 2022, after five months in prison, I watched on TV as the US State Department traded an arms dealer to Russia. This deal secured the release of Mrs. Griner, who had pled guilty to smuggling cannabis oil. Now please understand, I am happy Mrs. Griner got to go home, but I was in a RAGE over the fact that the State Department had refused to help me in any way with my case! The next morning, I called the Embassy. I spoke with Phil and demanded to know what was going on. Why were others getting help but not me? He said the decision came from Washington D.C. When I asked him to talk to them, he replied he couldn't. He said, "Things come down from there, not go up to there." I then watched as the US State Department worked for the release of over a dozen Americans worldwide. I saw those updates on TV while I sat in prison. Needless to say I was am still not real happy with the US State Department. In prison, I often asked for help. I did this both verbally and in writing. Yet, I mostly got polite "No" responses, if I got any answer at all. Here are 2 of the letters I wrote to the Embassy and State Department, along with the one written reply I received.

This first letter is to Phil at the embassy, and was sent 3 days before Evan Gershkovich was returned home from his imprisonment in Russia.

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This second letter was sent to Secretary Marco Rubio and I have attached the response I received from the State Department

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They refused to help me when I needed it most. Their promise to support my medical issues was just a joke! In prison, I dropped from 228 lbs to 156 lbs. It wasn’t a diet plan I’d suggest. My blood pressure reached stage 3 hypertension. Plus, my back, which has always had issues from a slipped disk, gave out. I can't lie on my back on a firm surface. It causes me intense pain for about five minutes. My muscles and spine struggle to realign during that time.

My back was the most painful issue. In prison, there were only backless steel benches to sit on. The mattresses? They barely counted as such. In other words, there was ZERO back support anywhere. I got prescriptions from three doctors—two in prison and one specialist. They all said I needed a chair and a mattress for my back, plus physical therapy. It took the Embassy nine months just to arrange a chair for me, and on the mattress another three months. Nine months of daily pain, not getting much sleep, all added to the fact that I was in prison for something I did NOT do! The physical therapy was a joke. I went to a prison gym where a guy sat behind a desk. He gave a few instructions, then watched TV. This lasted just over a month before they stopped my sessions.

I could go on for pages and pages about the Embassy and the State Department, like the fee's they charged my family just to deliver money to me so I could by necessities, them telling me that "oh well all believe your innocent, but we just can't do anything," etc., etc. but then the rage goblin would take over so I'll leave it here on my time in prison. There are just two more points to make.

When I was released from prison and the deportation center in Doha, I found myself stuck. I had no way to go home, get a job, or move on. The Embassy kept saying all the ways they "cannot" help me.

And finally, I need to give credit where it is due, there is one bright light at the US Embassy in Qatar, his name is Jalil. Jalil is a Senior American Citizen Services Specialist. Basically, that means he visited me in prison. He usually explained why his bosses at the State Department couldn't help me. He also listened with sympathy. Plus, he even gave me a chair from his own home! He purchased clothing for me when I needed it and was the one who delivered letters from my family. Jalil is the only person in the Embassy who I believe actually gave a damn about me and what I was going through.