>>> WE ARE BACK WITH A "TODAY" EXCLUSIVE
EXCLUSIVE EXCLUSIVE.
EXCLUSIVE. THIS MORNING, THE HARROWING
STORY OF A YOUNG AMERICAN HELD
FOR TWO YEARS IN ONE OF
VENEZUELAS MOST NOTORIOUS PRISONS.AS MOST NOTORIOUS
PRISONS.
JOSH HOLT WAS ACCUSED OF SPYING AND HOLDING ILLEGAL WEAPONS.ING
AND HOLDING ILLEGAL WEAPONS. BUT HIS PARENTS SAY HE WAS A
U.S. CITIZEN THAT FELL IN LOVE.
JOSH AND HIS WIFE SUFFERED AT
THE HANDS OF THE INTELLIGENCE
SERVICE IN A PRISON KNOWN FOR
HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES.
AFTER A VIOLENT PRISON RIOT, A STUNNING TURN OF EVENTS, JOSHA
STUNNING TURN OF EVENTS, JOSH AND HIS WIFE FOUND THEMSELVES
BACK HOME.
BACK HOME.
THEYRE WITH US, EXCLUSIVELY WITH JOSHS PARENTS, LORI AND
JASON.
JASON.
GOOD MORNING.
WELCOME HOME.
ON U.S. SOIL.
YOURE HERE, YOUR PARENTS
WAITING FOR YOU.
DESCRIBE WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE
HOME.
>> IT WAS, TO TELL YOU THE
TRUTH, I HAD ANXIETY GETTING OFF OF THE PLANE BECAUSE THERE WEREF
OF THE PLANE BECAUSE THERE WERE TONS OF POLICE OFFICERS THERE.
AND GOING FROM BEING IN JAIL FOR
TWO YEARS TO WALKING OFF A PLANE
AND THERES TONS OF POLICE
OFFICERS, I WAS LIKE -- >> POSTTRAUMATIC A LITTLE BIT,
RIGHT?
RIGHT?
>> NO.
THESE PEOPLE ARE HERE TO CARE
FOR YOU AND LOVE YOU.
>> LETS TALK ABOUT WHAT
HAPPENED.
YOU MEET A GIRL ONLINE.
YOURE A GUY WHO FALLS IN LOVE. YOU MEET THAMY ON MORMON.ORG..
YOU MEET THAMY ON MORMON.ORG. YOU ARE IN LOVE WITH THIS GIRL.
YOU GO TO VENEZUELA, HER HOME
COUNTRY, AND YOU GET MARRIED.
ITS THE MOST BLISSFUL TIME OF
YOUR LIFE.
YOUR LIFE.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, YOU HEAR A BANG
ON YOUR DOOR.
>> SHE ANSWERED THE DOOR. AND THE POLICE OFFICERS ASKED IF
THERES ANY MEN IN THE ROOM.
SHE SAYS YEAH, MY HUSBAND IS IN
THE APARTMENT.
THE APARTMENT.
THEY COME INTO THE APARTMENT
ROOM.
AND THEN, THEY ASK ME SOME
QUESTIONS AND THEY LEAVE.
>> YEAH.
>> WE WERE RELIEVED. RIGHT?WERE RELIEVED.
RIGHT?
YOU HEAR ALL OF THE SCREAMS AND
CRYING.
EVERYTHING IS JUST CRAZY.
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, THEY COME IN YOUR HOUSE, WHICH YOURECOME
IN YOUR HOUSE, WHICH YOURE HOPING WASNT GOING TO HAPPEN
AND THEY JUST LEAVE.
>> THEY ENDED UP COMING BACK.
>> THEY COME BACK A HALF HOUR
LATER JUST TO TAKE ME.
>> THEY TOOK YOU AND YOUR WIFE.
WE SHOULD POINT OUT THAT THAMY,
ENGLISH IS NOT HER FIRST
LANGUAGE.
LANGUAGE.
IM NOT IGNORING. YOURE GOING TO ANSWER FOR HER.
THEY COME AND TAKE YOU AND DRAG
YOU OFF TO THIS VENEZUELAN
PRISON.
PRISON.
WHAT DID YOU THINK WAS GOING ON?
>> I WAS, AT FIRST, I WASNT AS
AFRAID.
HERE IN AMERICA, YOU TRUST YOUR
POLICE OFFICERS.
WHEN YOURE AROUND THEM, LITTLE
KIDS ARE WAVING AND SMILING. OVER THERE, I DIDNT KNOW IT WAS
SO DANGEROUS.
SO DANGEROUS.
>> YOU DIDNT KNOW THERE WAS
ANYTHING TO BE WORRIED ABOUT.
THEY SAY YOU WERE POSSESSING WEAPONS. YOU WERE POSSESSING
WEAPONS.
THEY SAY YOURE AN AMERICAN SPY.
ANY OF THAT TRUE?
>> NONE OF THAT IS TRUE. >> OKAY.OF THAT IS TRUE.
>> OKAY.
YOU GET DRAGGED OFF TO PRISON. HOW DO YOU, MOM AND DAD, FIND.
HOW DO YOU, MOM AND DAD, FIND OUT THAT YOUR CHILD HAS BEEN
BASICALLY INCARCERATED IN
VENEZUELA.
VENEZUELA.
HOW DID YOU FIND OUT?
>> WE GOT A FACEBOOK MESSAGE FROM ONE OF MY DAUGHTERSSAGE
FROM ONE OF MY DAUGHTERS FACEBOOK MESSENGER.
FACEBOOK MESSENGER. IT SAID 911, JOSH, THAMY, TAKEN
TO PRISON.
TO PRISON.
>> AND YOU THOUGHT -- >> THERE WAS AN ARTICLE.
AND AT FIRST, I WAS LIKE, NO
WAY.
WAY.
WE WERE JUST -- I WAS WALKING IN
FRIDAY NIGHT FROM WORK. WALKING IN THE DOOR AND I SEE
IT.
IT.
I SAT DOWN AND I TOLD HIM.
HE COMES OVER.
MY HEART STARTS POUNDING A LITTLE BIT.ARTS POUNDING A
LITTLE BIT. AND YOU WIDEN THE PICTURE AND
YOU CAN SEE ALL OF HIS PERSONAL
BELONGINGS.
BELONGINGS.
AND I KNEW.
NEITHER ONE OF THEM WERE RESPONDING TO ME.EM WERE
RESPONDING TO ME. >> SO, YOU GUYS ARE IN PRISON.
THEY TAKE YOU THERE.
HOW ARE THEY TREATING YOU?
WHAT HAPPENS?
WHAT HAPPENS?
I HEARD STORIES OF SOME TORTURE, SOME MENTAL TORTURE.OME TORTURE,
SOME MENTAL TORTURE. WHAT HAPPENED IN THAT PRISON?
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
AT THE VERY BEGINNING, IT WAS
HORRIBLE.
THEY PUT ME IN A CELL THAT WAS NO BIGGER THAN WHAT A TWIN BED
WOULD BE.
WOULD BE.
>> YEAH.
>> THEY HAD COVERED THE DOOR
WITH A PLASTIC BAG, SO, I WASNT
GETTING MUCH AIR.
IT WAS SUPERHOT.
I WAS LITERALLY LAYING ON THE GROUND IN MY UNDERWEAR, ASTHE
GROUND IN MY UNDERWEAR, AS COCKROACHES ARE CRAWLING ALL
OVER ME.
OVER ME. IF YOU HAD TO USE THE BATHROOM,
YOU HAD A BOTTLE OR A NEWSPAPER.
YOU COULD CHOOSE.
>> WHAT WAS HAPPENING THE YOUR
WIFE WAS WORSE.
WHAT WAS HAPPENING WITH THAMY? >> SHE WAS IN A CELL WITH 23Y?
>> SHE WAS IN A CELL WITH 23 WOMEN.
WOMEN.
>> WAS SHE HURT?
>> THEY WERE TRYING TO GET HER TO GO AGAINST ME.NG TO GET HER
TO GO AGAINST ME. SO, WHILE THEY WERE TRYING TO
FILL OUT PAPERWORK TO GET HER TO
SIGN THINGS, SAYING I WAS A BAD
PERSON, THIS TYPE OF STUFF, SHE
DIDNT WANT TO DO IT.
SHE KNEW IT WAS FAKE.
SHE STARTED TO PUT HER FINGERS
INTO PENCIL SHARPENERS, TO SCARE
HER.
HER.
THEY TRIED TO SCARE HER WITH
TASERS.
>> TWO YEARS THIS IS GOING ON.
IM THINKING OF WEEKS AND
MONTHS.
AND I WATCHED, LAURIE, YOU AND
YOUR HUSBAND GO ON TELEVISION. YOU HAD RALLIES.ON TELEVISION.
YOU HAD RALLIES. YOU WERE BANGING ON THE DOORS OF
CONGRESS PEOPLE.
CONGRESS PEOPLE. YOU WERE FIGHTING.
BUT AT NIGHT, WHEN THERE WASNT
THE FIGHT IN YOU, WHAT WERE YOU
SAYING TO GOD AND TO YOURSELF?
HOW DID YOU ENDURE THOSE DAYS?
>> I GOT ANGRY.
THERE WAS A LOT OF ANGER.
I JUST HAD TO KEEP PUSHING.
I KNEW THAT I WAS HIS VOICE.
AND I WAS THE ONLY THING THAT
WAS GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET HIM
HOME.
HOME.
IF I WASNT LOUD, IF I WASNT
BRINGING HIS CASE TO THE FRONT OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC AND TOT
OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC AND TO OUR GOVERNMENT, FOR THEM TO PUSH
AGAINST THE VENEZUELAN
GOVERNMENT, I KNEW I WOULD NEVER
GET HIM HOME.
>> WELL, PEOPLE WERE LISTENING.
ORRIN HATCH, BOB CORKER,
PRESIDENT TRUMP, WERE ALL
LISTENING.
LISTENING.
THERES A MOMENT WHEN YOU CAME HOME.S A MOMENT WHEN YOU CAME
HOME.
AND I WATCHED THIS VIDEO A HUNDRED TIMES.THIS VIDEO A
HUNDRED TIMES. YOURE IN THE ROOM TOGETHER.
AND YOU CAN SEE IT.
THERES A HUG THAT HAPPENS HERE
IN THIS MOMENT, THAT ALMOST
NEVER ENDS.
NEVER ENDS. LAURIE, WHAT DID THAT FEEL LIKE?
THAT MOMENT?
THAT MOMENT? >> HE WAS FINALLY BACK IN MY
ARMS.
ARMS. >> YOU HAD YOUR BABY HOME.
>> I DIDNT WANT TO LET HIM GO.
>> SHE GOT HER SHARE.
>> I SAW YOU, DAD.
YOU MUST HAVE FELT SO GOOD TO
HAVE HIM BACK, HUH?
>> I DID.
>> I DID. >> JOSH, WHEN YOU WERE SITTING
WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP AND WITH
THE CONGRESS PEOPLE, I THINK
SOMEONE YELLED OUT TO YOU, YOU
HAVE ONE LIFE.
YOU LIVE THAT LIFE.
YOU LIVE THIS LIFE.
HOW ARE YOU GOING TO LIVE THIS
LIFE?
TELL ME.
>> IM GOING TO DO WHAT I CAN TO HELP PEOPLE THROUGH SITUATIONS.
HARD SITUATIONS.
HARD SITUATIONS. HELP PEOPLE LEARN TO CHANGE
THEIR MINDS.
THEIR MINDS. WERE WRITING A BOOK RIGHT NOW.
THROUGH THAT BOOK AND THROUGH
JUST TALKING WITH PEOPLE, WERE
HOPING TO HELP BLESS PEOPLE.
>> WERE SO HAPPY YOURE HOME.
WERE HAPPY, THAMY, YOURE WITH
US.
US.
AND YOU HAVE A POSSE OVER HERE.
YOUR BROTHER, YOUR SISTER. A BUNCH OF PEOPLE AND I KNOW
THAT THEY WERE ALL SO, SO HAPPY
TO HAVE YOU BACK HOME, AS WE ALL
ARE.