Researcher from Harvard under scrutiny for alleged transportation of frog embryos now faces additional allegations
Harvard Researcher Facing Fresh Accusations
Equal parts intrigue and controversy swirl around Kseniia Petrova, a Russian-born researcher working at Harvard Medical School. Yeah, you know the one, the gal smuggling frog embryos into the States!
Petrova, who's been conducting cancer research, was indicted this week by a Boston federal grand jury on a trio of counts. She's been slapped with one count of concealing a material fact, one count of false statement, and one count of smuggling goods into the United States. Initially charged with smuggling in May, now she's got even more on her plate.
But fear not, Petrova won't be slipping away just yet. She'll stay out on pretrial release for now.
A lawyer for Petrova was, however, unreachable for comment.
The whole brouhaha began back in February when she returned from vacation in France. Questioning by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at Boston Logan International Airport revealed Petrova had stopped at a lab specializing in splicing superfine sections of frog embryos. She obtained a sample package for her research. Federal officials on social media accused her of lying about carrying "substances," into the country, claiming she intended to smuggle the embryos through customs without declaring them.
In an interview with The Associated Press earlier in April, Petrova admitted she didn't realize the items needed to be declared and wasn't trying to sneak anything into the country.
Post her initial arrest, Petrova was informed her visa was being canceled and was held by immigration officials in Vermont. She filed a petition seeking her release, and following a judge's ruling that the immigration officers' actions were unlawful, she was briefly detained at an ICE facility in Louisiana before her release.
If convicted of the smuggling charge, Petrova faces a hefty 20-year prison sentence and a fine of up to $250,000. Conviction on the charges of concealment of material fact and false statements could result in a prison term of up to 5 years and a fine of up to $250,000.
In a nutshell, the extra charges against Petrova revolve around her alleged denial of possession of the embryos, which are classified as biological materials. The case has garnered a considerable amount of attention and gossip, particularly given Petrova's scientific background and Russian nationality.
The recent charges against Kseniia Petrova, the Russian-born researcher at Harvard Medical School, now include concealment of a material fact and false statements, in addition to the initial smuggling charge. This development in the case, which has generated significant general-news coverage due to Petrova's scientific background and nationality, highlights the importance of declaring all biological materials, even in the context of academic or medical-conditions research.
