Prosecutors to drop charges against Russian-born Harvard scientist accused of smuggling frog embryos

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Prosecutors to drop charges against Russian-born Harvard scientist accused of smuggling frog embryos

TL;DR

  • Prosecutors are dropping smuggling charges against Harvard scientist Kseniia Petrova.
  • Petrova claimed she was singled out for prosecution by the Trump administration.
  • A federal judge ruled Petrova could access evidence to support her vindictive prosecution claim.
  • US immigration authorities initially took Petrova into custody after her visa was revoked.
  • Prosecutors alleged she failed to declare frog embryos found in her luggage.
  • Petrova stated her boss asked her to bring back the samples for experiments.
  • Her lawyers argued the charges were retaliatory for her challenging immigration proceedings.
  • A previous ruling found Petrova's visa cancellation was unlawful.