Two men from Washington state, Anthony Curcio, 43, of Redmond, and Iosif Bondarchuk, 37, of Lake Stevens, found themselves in hot water as they were arrested and charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The charges levied against them trace back to their involvement in a fraudulent scheme that revolved around the sale of misgraded sports and Pokémon cards. This elaborate ruse managed to rake in a staggering $2 million from unsuspecting buyers who fell victim to their deceitful practices.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York didn’t waste any time in revealing the misdeeds of Curcio and Bondarchuk. The duo allegedly engaged in deceptive tactics between 2022 and May 2024, where they were accused of swapping out lower-grade cards and encasing them as higher-grade PSA 10 specimens. By doing so, they artificially inflated the market values of these cards, luring buyers into purchasing items that were falsely represented in terms of their quality and rarity.
One of the prominent pieces at the center of this scandal was a 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie card. This particular card, presented fraudulently as gem mint, was sold for a jaw-dropping $171,000 through an online marketplace in Manhattan. However, the truth about the card’s actual grade came to light when the selling platform, MySlabs, uncovered the fraud and promptly reported the issue to PSA as well as law enforcement. Other bogus cards included a 2009 Topps rookie card of Stephen Curry and a 1980 Topps card showcasing Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Julius Erving.
Interestingly, the fraudulent activities didn’t solely concentrate on sports cards but also extended to Pokémon cards. Case in point, a 1999 first-edition Venusaur card was sold to an undercover law enforcement officer in Manhattan for $10,500 while being falsely labeled as a PSA 10 grade.
The accused pair was purportedly engaging in the selling or attempted selling of these manipulated cards at various marketplaces, spanning from card shops to shows and online auctions. In cases where disgruntled buyers raised concerns about the legitimacy of their purchased items, Bondarchuk supposedly compounded the issue by providing fictitious contact details, attributing them to unrelated individuals.
Should Curcio and Bondarchuk be found guilty, they could potentially face a maximum sentence of up to 20 years behind bars. The collaborative efforts of the FBI and PSA’s Brand Protection division were pivotal in conducting the investigation, which shines a light on the ongoing measures being taken to safeguard collectors and maintain the integrity of the trading card market.
This case underscores the critical need for diligence in the collectibles market and sends a stern warning to anyone entertaining the thought of partaking in similar fraudulent activities.
