Matthew John Heath is a decorated United States Marine Corps veteran. He has been wrongfully detained in Venezuela since September 9, 2020. According to the CASLA Institute, a respected human rights organization, Matthew was kidnapped in Colombia while on business related to his evolving pleasure boating business. He was then held for ransom. Members of our family received numerous appeals from Matthew in the weeks leading up to his arrest in Venezuela, and we believe he was being forced to ask for money by the kidnappers. Due to COVID-19, Colombian borders were closed and transportation routes out of the country evaporated. Matthew’s kidnappers extracted thousands of dollars from our family and his friends under the guise of “helping Matthew get back to the United States.” When the money ran out, so did Matthew’s value to the kidnappers and it appears that he was either dumped in Venezuela, or sold by the kidnappers to Venezuelan authorities. In Venezuelan hands, he was charged with crimes based on a fictitious story and planted evidence. Three and a half months after his arrest, he was placed in a detention center under inhumane conditions. He remains there to this day. Matthew has been physically tortured, psychologically abused, subjected to numerous breeches of due process and continues to endure trial for theater. Matthew is innocent and is being prosecuted and persecuted for reasons of politics and for being an American.