2 Washington men arrested for selling counterfeit sports and Pokémon trading cards

SEATTLE – Two Washington men have been arrested for defrauding customers of more than $2 million by selling counterfeit sports and Pokémon trading cards, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Anthony Curcio, a 43-year-old man from Redmond, and Iosif Bondarchuk, a 37-year-old man from Lake Stevens, are charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

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

The two are said to have developed a scheme to defraud buyers and marketplaces, selling them sports and Pokémon trading cards at higher, false prices by misrepresenting the cards’ actual value. They reportedly sold the cards in person, at card conventions, and online.

Trading cards are graded based on condition and authenticity; higher grades mean higher value.

Since 2022, the two men have been falsifying the presentation and driving up the prices of professional athlete and Pokémon trading cards across the country, officials said. Prosecutors estimate the total cost of the sales and attempted sales at more than $2 million.

In July 2023, an undercover agent purchased a “fraudulently counterfeit” 1999 Pokémon Venusaur card for $10,500. According to the Justice Department, Bondarchuk had previously attempted to sell the card on an online marketplace. Curcio mailed the card to the undercover agent, and it turned out that the payment had been wired to a bank account controlled by Curcio.

Curcio and Bondarchuk were arrested on Thursday and will appear before a U.S. justice of the peace in the Western District of Washington.

“For over two years, Anthony Curcio and Joe Bondarchuk are alleged to have manipulated the most common types of trading cards to inflate the selling price by assigning false validity ratings over the actual market value, causing victims to lose over $2 million,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Smith. “Not only does this alleged scheme damage the reputation of a respected authentication company, but the defendants’ alleged actions betray the trust and wallets of avid collectors.”