Brittany Alkonis speaks out on 'unimaginable' treatment after husband's arrest: 'They've abandoned' him
Brittany Alkonis, wife of Navy Lt. Ridge Alkonis, tells Pete Hegseth about her family's experience following her husband's arrest for alleged negligent driving in Japan.
Brittany Alkonis is sharing her account of the "unimaginable" treatment her family received since her husband, Navy Lt. Ridge Alkonis, suffered a medical emergency and lost control of their car while driving down Mt. Fuji.
Navy Lt. Ridge Alkonis, who is based out of Yokosuka Naval Base, was convicted of negligent driving by Japanese courts in October 2021 after he was involved in a vehicle accident that year that resulted in the deaths of two people. He is now serving a three-year prison sentence in Japan.
"He was convicted of negligent driving resulting in death or injury, but a medical emergency like a heart attack, a stroke, a seizure, that is not a crime in America, and it is also not a crime in Japan…"
"He should not be in jail right now," she said Sunday on "Fox & Friends Weekend."
Lt. Ridge Alkonis and his wife Brittany who have been devastated after a car accident in Japan led to a three-year prison sentence and prompted Brittany to fight for her husband's release. ('Fox News @ Night' screenshot)
Alkonis' husband suffered from altitude sickness, also called "acute mountain sickness," during the tragedy.
She told co-host Pete Hegseth on Sunday that U.S. diplomats have "abandoned" her husband since the incident took place.
"I think the big hurdle that we had for quite some time was that the case was in the hands of DoD, and they were not going to step in," she said.
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U.S. President Joe Biden (R) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meet in the Oval Office at the White House on January 13, 2023 in Washington, DC. ((Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images))
"They told me their job is to protect Japan and the alliance, and I cannot assume that what's in my husband's best interest is in the Navy's and the alliance's best interest," she added.
Alkonis said she managed to remove the case from the Defense Department's hands and said National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, are both involved in the case.
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"President Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris have both spoken to the [Japanese] prime minister about this… I was able to speak with Rahm Emanuel this week. He took that time out during a very busy week with Japan, and he said that he's cautiously optimistic that they've found a way forward," she said.
Alkonis, in tears, described the shakeup as "unimaginable," adding, "You dedicate a decade of your life to serving your country, and they have abandoned my husband and our family."
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