Indictment of Two Men in $2 Million Pokémon Fraud Scheme; One was Infamous Armored Truck Robber
Anthony Curcio and Iosif Bondarchuk of Washington state allegedly forged collectible trading card ratings to make them appear more valuable than they were, according to the indictment against them.
Then they allegedly sold them to unsuspecting customers at grossly inflated prices.
Forged Gradings from a Reputable Company
Cursio and Bondarchuk had a pattern of defrauding their victims but refunding their money when confronted, prosecutors say.
(U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York)
After purchasing sports and Pokémon cards from Cursio and Bondarchuk, some victims became suspicious and contacted the reputable company that supposedly rated the cards, the indictment said. After the company did not corroborate the authenticity of the ratings, these victims demanded their money back.
When this happened, Cursio and Bondarch would comply, say prosecutors. But then they’d turn around and sell the bogus-rated card to another unfortunate victim.
To make the cards look like they’d been legitimately graded, Cursio and Bondarchuk forged a fake label and encased them in the style of the rating company, making it appear that the company had rated the cards, the indictment said.
Prosecutors withheld the name of the company in the indictment since it had no involvement in the scheme.
Lucrative, High-Value Fakes
The falsely rated cards included a 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan trading card and a first edition 1999 Pokémon Venosaur card.
In July 2023, Curcio sold a Pokémon card with a forged rating to an undercover law enforcement officer, according to his indictment.
Other cards Curcio and Bondarchuk are alleged to have sold include a Tom Brady rookie card, a 1968 Nolan Ryan/Jerry Koosman rookie card, and a John Elway rookie card.
Serious Allegations
The FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office aren’t treating the alleged crimes of Curcio and Bondarchuk lightly.For over two years, Anthony Curcio and Joe Bondarchuk allegedly manipulated common-level trading cards to fraudulently inflate the retail price from its true market value by assigning false validity grades, resulting in more than $2 million in victim losses,
FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Smith said in a press release.
This alleged scheme not only damages the reputation of a respectable authentication company, but the defendants’ alleged actions also betray the trust and wallets of avid collectors,
Smith said.
Previous Career: Armored Truck Robber
Curcio has had previous run-ins with the law. He was sentenced to five years in prison after robbing a Brinks armored vehicle, according to a July 27, 2009 U.S. Attorney’s press release. At the time, the robbery made national headlines because of Curcio’s crafty escape plan. He took out an ad on Craiglist offering to hire workers who showed up in the same outfit he would wear to make his escape, said prosecutors.
After robbing the armored vehicle of $400,000, Curcio changed his look by shedding his disguise, which also included a wig. His undoing involved DNA left on a water bottle that the police retrieved at a gas station, according to the press release. Police had been surveilling him after a homeless man reported seeing his license plate in the vicinity of the robbery a few days before it took place.
Armored Car Robber to Children’s Books Author
In prison, Curcio began writing books, including his autobiography, Heist and High, which featured details of the armored robbery and the prescription painkiller addiction that led him down the path of financially motivated crime.
His Amazon author page also lists him as the writer and illustrator of 23 children’s books. His bestseller titles include Stephen Curry: The Boy Who Never Gave Up and My Daddy’s in Jail.
Charges and Potential Sentences
If convicted, Curcio and Bondarchuk face stiff sentences. So far, they are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of wire fraud. Each count could incur up to 20 years in prison.
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