Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York | Department of Justice
A federal jury has convicted Anthony Curcio of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud for orchestrating a scheme involving fake grades on sports and Pokémon trading cards. The announcement was made by Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, following a two-and-a-half-week trial before U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams.
“Millions of Americans participate in our collectibles markets, and they should be free from fraud and manipulations,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Anthony Curcio now faces years in prison, and his conviction is a cautionary tale for those who would abuse the collectibles markets. Our Office is dedicated to ensuring that markets of all kinds, including collectibles markets, are safe from fraudsters. Anthony Curcio tried to cover his tracks and hide what he had done, but thanks to our law enforcement partners and the many victims who came forward, he has now been convicted of serious federal crimes.”
Evidence presented at trial showed that between 2022 and May 2024, Curcio directed a scheme with Iosif Bondarchuk to sell sports and Pokémon trading cards with forged authenticity grades purportedly issued by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA). Bondarchuk acted as a front man in interactions with buyers and listed the cards for sale online and at physical locations such as card shops and shows.
The fraudulent activity involved selling cards that appeared to have high PSA grades—specifically grades 9 or 10—which can greatly increase a card’s market value. In reality, Curcio manipulated real PSA labels by removing original rating information and serial numbers before printing counterfeit high grades onto them. These altered cards were then sold for thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars each, despite being worth much less.
Curcio used multiple identities to conceal his involvement from buyers, PSA, and law enforcement. When confronted by defrauded buyers who discovered the deception, he sometimes refunded their money only to resell the same fraudulent cards to new victims.
In total, Curcio and Bondarchuk attempted to defraud victims out of more than $2 million through these misrepresented sales.
Curcio was found guilty on both counts after trial; Bondarchuk previously pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Sentencing will be determined by the judge.
Jay Clayton commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation for its work on the case. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David R. Felton, Kingdar Prussien, and Cecilia Vogel from the Illicit Finance and Money Laundering Unit.
