Federal Judge Dismisses Smuggling Charges Against Harvard Researcher Kseniia Petrova
U.S. District Judge Leo T. Sorokin dismissed criminal smuggling charges against Russian-born Harvard scientist Kseniia Petrova on November 4, 2026. Petrova was detained in February 2025 after customs officials found frog embryo samples in her luggage at Boston Logan Airport. Prosecutors dropped the case following a court order allowing her legal team to investigate claims of selective prosecution, citing resource constraints and the need to protect non-public investigative techniques.