Two men from Washington state, Anthony Curcio, 43, of Redmond, and Iosif Bondarchuk, 37, of Lake Stevens, have been apprehended and charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Their illicit activities revolved around a nefarious scheme centered on the sale of deceitfully graded sports and Pokémon cards, reaping in excess of $2 million from unsuspecting victims.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York revealed that between 2022 and May 2024, Curcio and Bondarchuk executed deceptive tactics to peddle these cards. They purportedly engaged in the practice of swapping inferior-grade cards into cases that misrepresented them as pristine PSA 10 specimens, considerably inflating their market worth.
Among the items fraudulently sold was a 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie card, masquerading as gem mint and fetching $171,000 on an online marketplace in Manhattan. Subsequently, the card was debunked as counterfeit by the selling platform, MySlabs, prompting a report to PSA and law enforcement. Other misrepresented cards included a 2009 Topps rookie card of Stephen Curry and a 1980 Topps card featuring Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Julius Erving.
The fraudulent activities extended beyond sports cards to encompass Pokémon cards. Notably, a 1999 first-edition Venusaur card, falsely labeled as PSA 10, was sold to an undercover law enforcement officer in Manhattan for $10,500.
Curcio and Bondarchuk are alleged to have sold or attempted to sell these cards through various channels, spanning card shops, events, and online auctions. When confronted by disgruntled buyers questioning the authenticity of their purchases, Bondarchuk purportedly provided misleading responses, including false contact information attributed to unrelated individuals.
If convicted, both men could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The FBI and PSA’s Brand Protection division joined forces in conducting the investigation, signaling their dedication to safeguarding collectors and upholding the integrity of the trading card market.
This case underscores the critical need for diligence within the collectibles domain and serves as a stark cautionary tale for those contemplating engaging in similar deceitful practices.
