A federal grand jury in Boston has indicted Kseniia Petrova, a Russian-born scientist affiliated with Harvard Medical School, on charges related to smuggling biological materials into the United States. The June 25 indictment includes one count of concealment of a material fact, one count of making a false statement, and one count of smuggling goods.
Petrova, 31, was initially charged in May for allegedly attempting to bring undeclared scientific samples into the country. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) canceled her visa in February after she failed to declare clawed frog embryos and embryonic samples while returning to Boston from France. The agency then transferred her to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with the intent of deportation.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, CBP agents stopped Petrova at Logan International Airport on February 16 after a detection canine alerted officers to her luggage. Upon inspection, officials found undeclared biological items including frog embryos stored in microcentrifuge tubes and samples embedded in paraffin and mounted on slides.
Prosecutors allege Petrova denied having any biological materials in her checked baggage. When confronted, she later claimed she was unsure whether the items needed to be declared. However, court documents reveal that a colleague had warned her via text to declare the materials and seek proper permissions before bringing them into the country.
Petrova has maintained that the embryos were not alive and were intended for research purposes. She has pleaded not guilty and argues that her detention and the revocation of her visa were both unlawful. Her legal team has sued the Trump administration, alleging wrongful detention.
Petrova spent nearly four months in custody before Magistrate Judge Judith Dein granted her pre-trial release on June 12. The additional charges were filed shortly after Petrova’s attorneys moved to dismiss the initial complaint.
If convicted, Petrova faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the smuggling charge, and up to five years and a $250,000 fine for each of the other two counts.
Immigration Enforcement and Academic Impact
Petrova's case has drawn significant public attention and criticism, particularly from academic and legal communities. Federal Judge Christina Reiss in Vermont ruled in May that Petrova’s initial detention by ICE was unlawful. Despite her release from immigration custody, she remains under the supervision of the U.S. Marshals Service for the pending criminal charges.
Her case is seen as part of a broader federal crackdown on international students and researchers. The Trump administration’s immigration policies have increasingly targeted foreign nationals in academia, leading to concerns about visa cancellations and deportations disrupting scientific research and innovation.
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell has publicly criticized the administration’s approach, submitting an affidavit in May stating that the targeting of international scholars undermines the state’s economy and the nation’s leadership in scientific advancement.
“The Trump administration’s actions send a chilling message to talented students and researchers worldwide—that their academic futures in the U.S. can be jeopardized at any moment,” Campbell wrote.
Petrova’s case continues to unfold as legal challenges and political debates over immigration and academic freedom intensify.
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Source: usatoday.com
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