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U.S. judge dismisses frog-embryo smuggling case against Harvard scientist
A Boston federal judge on Wednesday granted prosecutors' motion to drop all charges against Kseniia Petrova, a Russian-born Harvard Medical School researcher accused of smuggling frog embryos, the AP reported.
Wire reporting: (AP, via The Seattle Times)
A federal judge in Boston on Wednesday granted a government motion dismissing all criminal charges against Kseniia Petrova, a Russian-born scientist accused of smuggling frog embryos into the United States, the Associated Press reported.
Petrova, who was doing cancer research for Harvard Medical School, had been indicted on concealment of a material fact, making a false statement and smuggling goods, after an earlier smuggling charge, according to the AP.
The AP said she told the wire she did not realize the samples had to be declared and was not trying to sneak them in. The case weakened after an April ruling that a customs officer had improperly canceled her visa; she had been briefly held by immigration officials and feared deportation to Russia.
Defense lawyers sought dismissal on selective and vindictive prosecution grounds, arguing charges came after it appeared she might prevail in immigration court and that similar conduct is rarely charged. U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin dismissed the charges without a hearing, the AP said.
U.S. Attorney Leah Foley moved Tuesday night to drop the case based on later developments and office priorities, writing that continuing was not worth the public interest while calling the defense's selective-prosecution claims meritless. Foley cited an April order granting Petrova broad discovery on comparable undeclared-item encounters and CBP policies.
The AP said Petrova in early 2025 was returning from France, where she obtained frog-embryo samples at a lab, and was questioned at Boston Logan. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson had earlier said she was detained after lying to officers about carrying substances, according to the report.
