Attorneys argued implicit whether a Harvard University researcher accused of smuggling frog embryos brought “biological materials” into the U.S. Kseniia Petrova, a Russian-born idiosyncratic conducting crab probe for Harvard Medical School, appeared successful Ma...
BOSTON -- Attorneys argued implicit whether a Harvard researcher accused of smuggling frog embryos brought “biological materials” into the U.S. successful a tribunal proceeding Wednesday.
Kseniia Petrova, a Russian-born idiosyncratic conducting crab probe for Harvard Medical School, appeared successful Massachusetts national tribunal Wednesday for a probable origin hearing, wherever authorities and defence attorneys argued implicit whether she brought “biological materials” into the U.S., ABC News reported.
She was returning from a abrogation from France successful February erstwhile she was questioned by U.S. Customs and Border Protection astatine Boston Logan International Airport.
Petrova, 30, had stopped astatine a laboratory specializing successful splicing superfine sections of frog embryos and obtained a bundle of samples for research. Federal officials connected the societal media website X accused her of lying astir “carrying substances” into the state and alleged that she planned to smuggle the embryos done customs without declaring them.
She told The Associated Press successful an interrogation successful April that she did not recognize the items needed to beryllium declared and was not trying to sneak thing into the country.
Petrova was told her visa was being canceled and detained by migration officials successful Vermont aft her archetypal arrest. She filed a petition seeking her merchandise and was concisely sent to an ICE installation successful Louisiana, aft which a justice ruled the migration officers’ actions were unlawful. In May, she was charged with 1 number of smuggling.
The Homeland Security Investigations cause who wrote the affidavit successful enactment of the transgression complaint, Brian Goldsworthy, testified Wednesday that Petrova would not person been capable to permission the airdrome had she declared the frog embryos successful her luggage, ABC News reported.
He said that Customs and Border Protection agriculture experts and a national laboratory that reviewed the samples deemed them to beryllium biologic material, ABC News reported. Petrova's lawyer argued it was unclear what explanation the authorities was operating nether and the request to state items entering the state doesn't hinge connected whether thing is simply a biologic material, ABC News reported.
After Wednesday's hearing, some sides volition present person the accidental to taxable briefs to the judge.
If convicted of the smuggling charge, Petrova faces a condemnation of up to 20 years successful situation and a good of up to $250,000.
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