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Polina Perelman, who lives in Leesburg, pleaded guilty this week to smuggling animal DNA into the US after she was busted attempting to slip small vials past airport security in a conspicuous package.
Prosecutors say that on Aug. 19, 2022, Perelman failed to declare that she was importing any animals, animal products, or cell cultures, despite traveling with a Styrofoam cooler labeled “Research Samples.”
Inside the cooler were 19 small vials in tubes packed in dry ice.
When prompted by security about the vials and tubes, Perelman said that “they contained cell lines and DNA samples that she planned to have sequenced in the United States for her research in Russia.”
She doubled down on her claims, stating that the samples were “suspended in a freezing/transport medium containing fetal bovine serum, which also contained dimethyl sulfoxide and Alpha Minimum Essential Medium to help preserve the samples,” according to federal officials.
Perelman, who stated that she was a researcher at the Institute of Molecular & Cellular Biology in Russia, admitted to failing to declare her items because she was concerned they might be considered a possible disease agent.
According to court documents, of the 19 samples Perelman attempted to bring into the country, two contained biological material derived from Siberian crane and dhole, which are endangered species in the US, and protected by an international treaty.
She was taken into custody without incident and pleaded guilty on Monday, April 24.
When she is sentenced in August, Perelman faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
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