New Charges Filed Against Ivy League Scientist From Rival Country for Alleged Bio Materials Smuggling

A Harvard University scientist, Kseniia Petrova, is facing additional federal charges for allegedly smuggling frog embryos into the United States without disclosing them.

The Russian-born 30-year-old researcher has been indicted on counts of concealing a material fact, smuggling goods into the U.S., and making a false statement by a Boston federal grand jury.

Petrova, who is involved in cancer research at Harvard, was originally 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.