In a tale that could easily be mistaken for a Hollywood heist film, two Washington state men, Anthony Curcio and Iosif Bondarchuk, found themselves caught in a real-life scheme involving counterfeit graded sports and Pokémon cards. The duo, aged 43 and 37 respectively, went to great lengths to deceive buyers and rake in over $2 million in ill-gotten gains, until their fraudulent activities were brought to light.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, the pair’s unlawful endeavors transpired between 2022 and May 2024. During this period, Curcio and Bondarchuk cleverly swapped lower-grade cards into misleadingly labeled cases that portrayed them as pristine PSA 10 specimens. By doing so, they significantly inflated the market values of these cards to dupe unsuspecting collectors and enthusiasts.
Their nefarious operations included the sale of a purported gem mint 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie card for a staggering $171,000 through an online marketplace in Manhattan. This card, once hailed as a prized possession, turned out to be nothing more than a cleverly disguised forgery. The deception did not stop there, as other misrepresented items in their inventory featured prominent names like Stephen Curry, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Julius Erving.
The duplicitous dealings extended beyond the realm of sports cards into the realm of Pokémon. A prime example is a 1999 first-edition Venusaur card, touted as a perfect PSA 10 grade, which ended up in the hands of an undercover law enforcement officer in Manhattan for $10,500. The card, just like its athletic counterparts, was nothing but an elaborate sham perpetuated by the unscrupulous duo.
Their illicit activities took them to various venues, including brick-and-mortar card shops, collector shows, and bustling online auctions. In instances where buyers raised concerns about the legitimacy of their purchases, Bondarchuk allegedly resorted to further deception by disseminating false contact information, attributing it to uninvolved parties to throw off any suspicions.
With charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud looming over them, Curcio and Bondarchuk are facing the grim prospect of up to 20 years behind bars if convicted. The investigative efforts of the FBI and the collaboration with PSA’s Brand Protection division played a pivotal role in unraveling the intricacies of this deceitful operation, underscoring the commitment to safeguarding the trust and transparency within the trading card marketplace.
This cautionary tale serves as a stark reminder of the risks that lurk within the realm of collectibles, urging both buyers and sellers to exercise heightened vigilance and due diligence in their transactions. It sends a clear message to would-be fraudsters that the long arm of the law will not hesitate to bring them to justice, preserving the sanctity of the hobby for genuine enthusiasts and collectors alike.
