Trading Card Thieves Nabbed: Curcio & Bondarchuk Busted for $2M Scam

In a brazen nationwide scheme, two men have been arrested for defrauding buyers and marketplaces out of over $2 million by selling and attempting to sell fraudulent sports and Pokémon trading cards at inflated prices.

According to the Department of Justice, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams and FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Smith announced the unsealing of an indictment charging ANTHONY CURCIO, a/k/a “Brendan Wooley,” and IOSIF BONDARCHUK, a/k/a “Joe Bondarchuk,” with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud.

Curcio, 30, and Bondarchuk, 28, allegedly sold and attempted to sell fraudulent sports and Pokémon trading cards to victims across the country from at least 2022 to May 2024, resulting in over $2 million in victim losses. The scheme involved misrepresenting the grade of numerous trading cards, causing buyers to pay more money than they otherwise would have.

“As alleged, Anthony Curcio and Iosif Bondarchuk carried out a brazen, nationwide fraud scheme involving valuable sports and Pokémon trading cards to deceive buyers and marketplaces, ultimately amassing over $2 million in fraudulent and attempted sales,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams.

The indictment alleges that Curcio and Bondarchuk used a prominent card authentication company to misrepresent the grade of trading cards, resulting in higher resale values. The scheme involved selling and attempting to sell fraudulent sports and Pokémon trading cards, including cards of professional athletes such as Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, and Magic Johnson.

“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,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Smith.

Curcio and Bondarchuk were arrested this morning and are expected to be presented before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the Western District of Washington. This case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams.