Among the cards they sold were a 1986 Michael Jordan card, which Curcio advertised on an online marketplace for $171,700, claiming it had received a grade of 10, the highest possible, prosecutors said. The card authentication company had not in fact assigned a grade to the card, but Curcio displayed it in a tamper-resistant plastic case that labeled it as having received a 10, according to the indictment.
The pair also sold cards at card shops, auctions, and card shows, or through other online platforms using third-party sellers, prosecutors said.
When victims confronted Curcio and Bondarchuk and demanded refunds, they “feigned ignorance and often refunded the victims,” only to sell the same fraudulent cards to other people, the indictment said.
Curcio and Bondarchuk marketed two 1999 Pokémon cards depicting “Venusaur” and “Charizard,” eventually agreeing to sell the former to an undercover law enforcement agent in July 2023 for $10,500, prosecutors said.
False Identities and Previous Crimes
The pair used a variety of false identities in the $2M sports, Pokémon trading card scam, according to prosecutors. In March 2023, one customer complained to Bondarchuk about fraudulent cards, and Bondarchuk gave the customer Curcio’s phone number but said it belonged to a different person who was a leader in the Hells Angels motorcycle club, the indictment reads.
