BOSTON — A Harvard Medical School scientist accused of smuggling clawed frog embryos into the U.S. now faces additional federal charges. On Wednesday, a grand jury in Boston indicted Kseniia Petrova, 30, on three counts: smuggling goods into the country, making a false statement, and concealing a material fact.
Petrova, originally from Russia and conducting cancer research at Harvard, was already charged in May with smuggling. The new charges come as prosecutors build their case, but Petrova will remain free on pretrial release.
The incident occurred in February when Petrova returned from a vacation in France. According to federal authorities, she stopped at a lab specializing in frog embryo research and brought a package of samples back to the U.S. Officials allege she failed to declare the embryos at Boston Logan International Airport, violating customs laws.
On social media, Customs and Border Protection accused Petrova of lying about transporting biological materials. Petrova, in an April interview with the Associated Press, said she was unaware that the samples needed to be declared and denied any intention to deceive.
After her arrest, she was detained by immigration officers, briefly held in Vermont, and then transferred to an ICE facility in Louisiana. A judge later ruled the immigration detention was unlawful, and she was released.
If convicted:
- The smuggling charge carries up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
- The charges of false statements and concealment each carry up to 5 years in prison and additional fines of $250,000 per charge.
Petrova’s legal team has not commented on the new developments. The case remains under investigation.
