Kseniia Petrova, a researcher from Harvard Medical School, is facing criminal charges after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in February. She was accused of smuggling frog embryos into the U.S. for research and also charged with making false statements to customs officials. Petrova was arrested at Boston Logan International Airport after failing to declare the embryos. A judge found sufficient evidence for the criminal charges, and while she was released from custody two weeks ago, her trial date has not yet been set.
At a recent hearing, the U.S. attorney accused Petrova of lying about her possession of biological material. Evidence included a transcript of her questioning by Customs and Border Protection (CBP), where she allegedly denied having the embryos. The government claims she was informed prior to travel that she needed to declare the samples. Petrova’s defense argues that non-living embryos shouldn’t be classified as biological materials and contends that the government’s case relies on misinterpretations.
If convicted, Petrova faces severe penalties, including up to 20 years in prison and significant fines. The court has allowed both sides to submit definitions related to “biological material” for consideration in the ongoing legal proceedings.
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