Polina Perelman, Smuggling Animal DNA, Virginia 2022

A Russian national residing in Leesburg has pleaded guilty to smuggling endangered animal DNA into the US at Washington Dulles International Airport.

Polina Perelman, 38, arrived at Dulles Airport from Russia on August 19, 2022, and attempted to bring 19 small vials and tubes packed in dry ice, labeled ‘Research Samples,’ into the country.

When questioned by customs officials, Perelman claimed that the vials contained cell lines and DNA samples for her research in Russia, stating that she planned to have them sequenced in the US.

However, further investigation revealed that two of the samples contained biological material derived from Siberian crane and dhole, endangered species under US law and protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Perelman admitted to failing to declare the wildlife products and cell cultures due to concerns that customs officials might think they contained a disease agent, and that she would be asked unwanted questions if she declared the samples.

Perelman is scheduled to be sentenced on August 24, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after taking into account the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant US Attorneys Cristina Stam and Gordon Kromberg, and was announced by U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber, Special Agent in Charge of US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C. Derek W. Gordon, and Assistant Director of Law Enforcement for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Edward Grace.

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