A grand jury in Boston has indicted Kseniia Petrova, a 31-year-old Russian researcher at Harvard Medical School, on serious charges of smuggling and making false statements to customs officials. Petrova was apprehended on February 16 after returning from France with frog embryos, which her supervisor had asked her to bring back. Following her detention, she spent over three months in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility, drawing significant attention and concerns from the academic community regarding the implications for international scholars.
The grand jury's indictment includes three felonies, with the smuggling charge being the most severe, potentially leading to a prison term of up to 20 years, along with hefty fines. Petrova accepted responsibility for not declaring the embryos but contended that the infraction should have been treated as a minor offense rather than criminal. This incident catalyzed action from customs officials, who quickly moved to cancel her visa and initiate deportation procedures.
Petrova's appeals highlighted the political risks she would face if required to return to Russia, prompting a review of her situation by U.S. District Court Judge Christina Reiss, who expressed doubts about the justifications for the actions taken against her by immigration officials. Reiss indicated that the evidence presented did not substantiate the grounds for stripping Petrova’s visa, casting a shadow over the federal government's approach in the case.
