Harvard researcher and Russian national arrested for smuggling frog embryos into Boston
Kseniia Petrova, 31, a Russian citizen, was arrested Wednesday and charged by criminal complaint with one count of smuggling goods into the United States, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement.
Petrova was taken into immigration custody on Feb. 16, Foley said. Since then, she has been held in a detainment facility in Louisiana, according to reports.
Prosecutors allege texts found on Petrova's phone show that Petrova's colleagues told her that she was required to declare the biological material.
In one alleged text message, when asked how she planned to get through customs with the biological samples, Petrova allegedly replied: 'No plan yet. I won't be able to swallow them.'
On Wednesday, a federal judge questioned government attorneys on their grounds for canceling Petrova's visa and detaining her, the New York Times reported. The judge reportedly set a bail hearing for Petrova later this month.
Fox News reported that Gregory Romanovsky, the attorney representing Petrova, said Thursday that customs experts confirmed that his client 'did not need a permit to bring her non-living scientific samples that are not considered biological material under U.S. Customs law.'
'Yesterday's hearing in federal district court in Vermont confirmed that Customs and Border Patrol officials had no legal basis for canceling Kseniia's visa and detaining her on Feb. 16. Less than two hours after the Vermont judge set a hearing on Kseniia's release, she was suddenly transferred from ICE to criminal custody. This is not a coincidence,' Romanovsky said.
'It is an attempt by the government to justify its outrageous and legally indefensible position that this scientist working for the U.S. on cures for cancer and aging research has somehow become a danger to the community. The government confirmed in court yesterday its intent to deport Kseniia to Russia, where it knows she will face grave danger for opposing the Putin regime.'
In a recent op-ed piece in the New York Times, Petrova wrote that she moved to America from Russia to join a biology lab at Harvard Medical School in 2023.
She also wrote about not declaring the frog embryos when she arrived at Boston's Logan Airport, and her subsequent detainment by ICE.
'At Logan International Airport, I did not complete a customs declaration for frog embryos (for use in our lab's research) in my luggage,' Petrova wrote. 'I'm told this would normally result in a warning or a fine. Instead, my visa was revoked and I was sent to a detention center in Louisiana, where I have spent the past three months with roughly 100 other women. We share one room with dormitory-style beds.'
She also wrote, 'I fear that if I return to Russia I will be arrested.'
According to the charging documents, on Feb. 16, Petrova arrived at Logan International Airport in Boston via an inbound flight from Paris.
When she arrived, Petrova was stopped by Customs and Border Protection agents after a law enforcement canine allegedly alerted its handler to Petrova's checked duffel bag on the baggage carousel.
Per protocol, law enforcement removed the bag from the carousel and brought it to an agricultural secondary inspection area for further screening, prosecutors said.
There, an officer inspected the bag and allegedly found the biological items: a foam box containing clawed frog embryos in microcentrifuges, as well as embryonic samples in paraffin well stages and on mounted dyed slides.
All biological products require a permit for entry and require the individual to make a declaration to Customs & Border Protection at the port of first arrival, authorities said.
Prosecutors allege that, when approached by law enforcement, Petrova initially denied carrying any biological material in her checked baggage, but later admitted to carrying the material when asked again.
Prosecutors said during an interview under oath, Petrova allegedly claimed to be unsure that she was required to declare biological material when entering the United States.
According to the charging documents, investigators found the following text messages on Petrova's phone from one of Petrova's colleagues informing Petrova that she was required to declare the biological material:
'if you bring samples or antibody back, make sure you get the permission etc. Like that link I sent to leon-/group chat about frog embryos because TSA went through my bags at customs in Boston;' and
'What is your plan to pass the American Customs with samples? This is the most delicate place of the trajectory.'
Prosecutors allege another text message conversation with a person identified as her principal investigator, during which Petrova allegedly said she 'won't be able to swallow' the frog embryos.
Petrova was then advised that she was ineligible for entry to the United States, Foley said.
Prosecutors allege that when asked if she wished to willingly withdraw her application for admission, Petrova responded 'in the affirmative' before being taken into custody by immigration officials.
According to the charging documents, Petrova was recently employed by the Institute of Genetic Biology in Moscow from 2023 to 2024 and previously served as a bioinformatician of genetic disorders at the Moscow Center for Genetics from 2016 to 2023.
If convicted, Petrova faces up to 20 years in prison, a term of up to five years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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