Prosecutors say Kseniia Petrova attempted to smuggle clawed frog embryos and embryonic samples into the country.
A Russian-born scientist and research associate at Harvard University has been arrested and charged with allegedly attempting to smuggle clawed frog embryos and embryonic samples into the United States, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts announced on May 14.
Kseniia Petrova, 31, was charged with one count of smuggling goods into the country.
If found guilty, she faces up to 20 years in prison, five years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
The charges were announced just hours after a federal judge in Vermont heard arguments in a lawsuit Petrova filed against the Trump administration alleging she has been unlawfully detained at an immigration detention center in Louisiana for months.
She was transferred out of the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to a nearby Louisiana parish jail shortly after being charged.
An initial hearing in her criminal case has been set for May 15.
Petrova, a Russian national, was first taken into immigration custody on Feb. 16 after arriving at Logan International Airport in Boston following a trip to Paris.
According to prosecutors, she was stopped by Customs and Border Protection agents after her checked duffle bag was flagged for inspection, revealing biological items including a foam box containing clawed frog embryos in microcentrifuges, as well as embryonic samples in paraffin well stages and on mounted dyed slides.
Such biological products must be declared and require a permit to be brought into the country.
Prosecutors said that Petrova initially denied carrying such material in her baggage but acknowledged she had biological specimens when asked again.
She was then advised that she was ineligible for entry to the United States, at which point prosecutors say she agreed to willingly withdraw her application for admission, prosecutors said.
The Trump administration has indicated it plans to deport her back to Russia.
Lawyer Says Case Is ‘Meritless’
Petrova said she fled Russia after it invaded Ukraine in February 2022 to avoid conflict or possible political repression. She added that she fears she will be imprisoned if she returns because of her political views.
