Kseniia Petrova, a Russian-born scientist and research associate working at Harvard Medical School prior to being detained by ICE, pictured after her release on bail in June. Photo: Reba Saldanha / Reuters
A federal grand jury in Boston has issued new charges against Russian-born scientist Ksenia Petrova, who was detained in February for attempting to bring frog embryos into the U.S. from France. She is currently free on bail.
According to a report by The Guardian, the jurors determined there was sufficient evidence to formally indict Petrova on smuggling charges first filed in May. She now also faces additional counts of making a false statement and concealing a material fact.
The smuggling charge carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The new charges carry up to five years in prison and an equivalent fine.
Petrova was detained at Boston Logan Airport after border agents found a box of clawed frog embryos in her luggage. She brought the embryos from France at the request of her academic advisor, Leon Peshkin, but failed to declare them.
In an April interview with the Associated Press, Petrova said she hadn’t realized the frog embryos needed to be declared and denied any intention of smuggling them into the country.
She was released on bail on June 12 and transferred back to Massachusetts. Despite the new charges filed on Wednesday, Petrova will remain free pending trial. A date has not yet been set.
Petrova detailed her story in a guest essay published in The New York Times in May, several weeks prior to her release. She explained that she left Russia after being arrested for protesting against the war in Ukraine and found “a paradise for science” at Harvard Medical School in 2023. She stressed her fear of being persecuted in Russia due to her political beliefs, as she had previously made Facebook posts advocating for the impeachment of Vladimir Putin.
“After I was arrested for taking part in a protest, I fled the country, knowing that I could not continue to live or work as a scientist there,” Petrova wrote.