A Harvard University scientist is now facing more federal charges after allegedly smuggling frog embryos into the U.S. without proper disclosure, a move that could lead to decades in prison.
Kseniia Petrova, a 30-year-old scientist originally from Russia, was formally indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston. She faces one count each of concealing a material fact, smuggling goods, and making a false statement.
Petrova, who is involved in cancer research at Harvard, was first charged with smuggling last month. Despite the new charges, she will continue to be on pretrial release.
Banners on the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library at the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Sophie Park/Bloomberg)
Following her arrest in Vermont, Petrova filed a petition seeking her release and was later sent to an ICE detention facility in Louisiana. A judge later ruled the actions of the immigration officers were unlawful, with a federal grand jury initially charging Petrova with one count of smuggling.
If convicted, Petrova faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the smuggling charge, and up to five years in prison and an additional $250,000 on charges of concealment of material fact and false statements.
