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Two men from Washington state, Anthony Curcio, 43, of Redmond, and Iosif Bondarchuk, 37, of Lake Stevens, have been arrested and charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The charges stem from their involvement in a scheme to sell fraudulently graded sports and Pokémon cards, including a notable Michael Jordan rookie card, which collectively netted over $2 million from unsuspecting buyers.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced that between 2022 and May 2024, Curcio and Bondarchuk engaged in deceptive practices to sell these cards. They allegedly swapped out lower-grade cards into cases that misrepresented them as higher-grade PSA 10 specimens, inflating their market values significantly.

Among the items sold were a 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie card, which was falsely presented as gem mint and sold for $171,000 through an online marketplace in Manhattan. This card was later identified as fraudulent by the selling platform, MySlabs, who then reported the issue 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 fraud extended beyond sports cards to include Pokémon cards. In one instance, a 1999 first-edition Venusaur card was sold to an undercover law enforcement officer in Manhattan for $10,500, falsely labeled as PSA 10.

Curcio and Bondarchuk are accused of selling or attempting to sell these cards at various venues, including card shops, shows, and online auctions. In some cases, when buyers complained about the authenticity of their purchases, Bondarchuk allegedly misled them by providing false contact information, attributing it to unrelated individuals.

If convicted, both men face up to 20 years in prison. The FBI and PSA's Brand Protection division collaborated during the investigation, highlighting the ongoing efforts to protect collectors and the integrity of the trading card market.

This case underscores the importance of vigilance in the collectibles market and serves as a warning to those who might consider engaging in similar deceptive practices.