Russian Woman Who Smuggled Animal DNA Through Dulles Airport Pleads Guilty: Prosecutors

LEESBURG, VA — A Russian woman from Leesburg tried to smuggle animal DNA samples through Dulles Airport, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. The woman, Polina Perelman, pleaded guilty on Monday.

Perelman could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison, based on federal sentencing guidelines. Her sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 24.

Prosecutors noted that the actual sentences for federal crimes are typically much lower than the maximum sentences.

On Aug. 19, 2022, Perelman landed at the Dulles Airport from Russia, court documents showed. During the customs declaration process, she told authorities that she did not have any animals, animal product, or cell cultures with her.

However, Perelman carried 19 research samples in her luggage. The samples were contained in small tubes that were then packed in dry ice and secured in styrofoam, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

When customs officials found the vials, Perelman said they contained DNA samples that she was going to have sequenced in the U.S. She noted that the samples were part of the research she was leading with Russia's Institute of Molecular & Cellular Biology. The institute studies animal DNA and evolution.

Perelman told authorities that she did not tell custom officials about the samples because she did not want them to be confiscated. She was worried that authorities would assume her samples contained diseases, instead of animal DNA.

Court records showed that two of the DNA samples in Perelman's luggage belonged to endangered species.