Researcher Smuggles Frog Embryos

A Harvard researcher is charged with trying to smuggle frog embryos into the United States. Attorney Jeremy Rosenthal joins us with the details. 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is a weird start to a story. A federal
judge has ordered the transfer of a Russian born scientist
and Harvard University researcher facing deportation from Louisiana COMMA, where
she was detained by immigration authorities COMMA, to Massachusetts COMMA,
where she has been charged with trying to smuggle frog embryos.

(00:24):
What let's get to our favorite attorney with Texas Defense
Firm dot Com, Jeremy Rosenthal, Thanks for doing this today.

Speaker 2 (00:35):
Good morning. This is serious stuff.

Speaker 1 (00:37):
I mean, she's a Harvard researcher. Why wouldn't you think
they'd have access to all the frog embryos they need?

Speaker 2 (00:44):
Uh?

Speaker 1 (00:45):
I don't even know where to start this.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
Do you know what the African treat frogs can do
to your finger for? You know? No? I mean, look,
this is this is serious stuff. This is big stuff.
And not only that, but look we are this is
one hockey town where I am Dallas, Texas to another,
the home of the Lumberjacks. All the talk on the
street here in Dallas has been about beating Waterloo and

(01:10):
we did it right. Yeah? Yeah, No, I mean, look,
hockey is I felt really bad for Dallas Stars, like
the guys who have to play here because it's like
Dallas is not a hockey but they love it. I mean,
we'll show up and we'll go and go bananas. But
back to the serious stuff, the tree frogs. I mean,

(01:31):
when you have these people bring in things to the
airport and they forget that they haven't, that is what
she is claiming. And maybe she's right. You cannot bring
biological materials in certain frogs. I've done some research on this.
Certain frogs are just okay. Certain frogs are not because
we don't want frogs on our trees in America that
make your hand for both. That's just what we do here.

(01:54):
But she's really looking at deportation. This can get bad
for her.

Speaker 1 (01:58):
Does Harvard University have anything to do.

Speaker 2 (02:00):
With this story? Not much, it's just their name is
in it. I doubt very much that they had anything
to do with her bringing those here. She claims again
she didn't know that they were there. And I'll say
this much. We handle cases all the time of people
people didn't forget what they had walking onto an airplane.
I wouldn't have a job. Barry Switzer forgot that he

(02:24):
had a handgun walking into DFW twenty years ago. I
believe the guy. If you've ever talked to him or
listened to him an interview, you know, oh yeah, this guy,
he's not all there. That that happens. People bring stuff
all the time. You do have to declare that you
have some type of biological agent. And a lot of

(02:45):
the times it's not a big deal.

Speaker 1 (02:47):
This one it was, Yeah. Sometimes they get you for
birthday cake right alone, having a bag full of embryos.
What did she say, what they're doing with those things?
And when she gets where she was supposed to be
or does she just always have him at the ready?

Speaker 2 (03:03):
Now you're getting into the real cover up. This is
why wood radio is great because we are drilling down.
We're getting the truth here. I don't know what was
what was the ultimate thing? She says. This sounds like
a like a meat and potatoes. This is just kind
of Wednesday for us at the lab. We're gonna mess
with their embryos, create a super frog, do something like that.

(03:26):
I don't know, maybe a frog that sings. You've seen
the Moony tunes. That what I want to see. That's
what I want to see, the singing frog. But then
every time you what every sensian, he's looking. He shuts
it up. That's what we need.

Speaker 1 (03:40):
That is the Michigan frog, because he did the Michigan rag.

Speaker 2 (03:43):
Is that right right now?

Speaker 1 (03:47):
We got to find that. So, I mean, I guess
the one of the takeaways is ignorance is never a defense,
right when it comes to the law. You got to
know what you're doing. Or it's like speeding. If you
don't know what the speed limit is, you could be
charged with frog embryos. So I'm afraid we're out of time,
but I love where we go on these segments with
Texas Defense Firm dot Com. Jeremy Rosenthal, thank you, no

(04:11):
lumber jacks.