Two men from Washington state, Anthony Curcio, 43, of Redmond, and Iosif Bondarchuk, 37, of Lake Stevens, have found themselves in serious trouble as they were recently arrested and charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Their charges originate from an elaborate scheme they concocted to dupe unsuspecting buyers into purchasing fraudulently graded sports and Pokémon cards, a scandal that raked in over $2 million.
It was the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York that made the announcement about the fraudulent activities of Curcio and Bondarchuk spanning from 2022 to May 2024. The modus operandi of the duo involved switching lower-grade cards with misrepresented higher-grade PSA 10 cards, thereby inflating their market values considerably.
A standout item among the lot was a 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie card, presented as a gem mint piece and fetching a whopping $171,000 through an online marketplace in Manhattan. The card, however, was later discovered to be a fake by the platform MySlabs, which promptly reported the issue to PSA and law enforcement. Other misrepresented cards included a 2009 Topps rookie card of NBA star Stephen Curry and a 1980 Topps card featuring legends Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Julius Erving.
Their fraudulent activities were not limited to the realm of sports cards but also extended to Pokémon cards. In a particular incident, a 1999 first-edition Venusaur card was sold to an undercover law enforcement agent in Manhattan for $10,500, falsely labelled as a PSA 10.
Curcio and Bondarchuk stand accused of peddling these fake cards not just in physical card shops and shows but also through online auctions. Troublingly, when buyers raised concerns about the authenticity of their purchases, Bondarchuk allegedly resorted to deception by providing false contact information, attributing it to unrelated individuals.
If the duo is convicted, they could be facing a hefty prison sentence of up to 20 years. Noteworthy is the collaboration between the FBI and PSA’s Brand Protection division throughout the investigation, underscoring the ongoing commitment to safeguarding collectors and maintaining the integrity of the trading card market.
This case serves as a stark reminder of the importance of vigilance in the collectibles market and sends a clear warning to anyone harboring thoughts of engaging in similarly deceitful practices.
