Federal prosecutors in Boston moved Tuesday to drop criminal charges against Kseniia Petrova, a Harvard Medical School researcher, after a judge allowed her to seek records for a selective-prosecution claim.
In a court filing, prosecutors said they considered Petrova’s allegation that the Trump administration targeted her for prosecution unfounded. They argued that continuing the case would draw resources away from federal priorities they viewed as more substantial.
Reuters reported that the October ruling let Petrova request government records for her selective-prosecution claim after the judge found the evidence sufficient.
Reuters reported that U.S. immigration authorities detained Petrova at Boston airport in February 2025 after her visa was revoked following a return from France. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents stopped her after her checked duffel was flagged for inspection, revealing frog embryos that authorities alleged she should have declared. Prosecutors filed charges in May 2025, accusing her of smuggling and making false statements.
Petrova pleaded not guilty and said her boss had asked her to bring the samples back for experiments, Reuters reported. She was released on bail in June 2025. A federal judge in Vermont ruled in April that her visa had been canceled unlawfully, Reuters reported.
