A Russian national living in New York who attempted to give a Ukrainian lookalike friend poisoned cheesecake in order to steal her identity was sentenced to 21 years in prison Wednesday.
Viktoria Nasyrova, 47, was convicted of the attempted murder of Olga Tsvyk in February, along with assault, unlawful imprisonment, and theft.
The two are both of a pale complexion, with dark hair and the ability to speak Russian, similarities that, prosecutors argued, fueled Nasyrova’s identity-theft plot.
On Aug. 28, 2016, Nasyrova visited Ms. Tsvyk at her residence, bringing a gift of cheesecake. What Ms. Tsvyk did not know was that the cake had been dosed with the potent sedative phenazepam, a Soviet-era equivalent to benzodiazepine.
As Ms. Tsvyk passed out, the last thing she saw was seeing Nasyrova walking around her room.
Contrary to Nasyrova’s plan, however, Ms. Tsvyk survived, waking to find her employment authorization card and Ukrainian passport missing, along with $4,000 in cash and other valuables.
Pills were also scattered around Ms. Tsvyk’s bed, to make it seem as if she had died of a self-administered overdose.
“She laced a slice of cheesecake with a deadly drug so she could steal her unsuspecting victim’s most valuable possession, her identity,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said.
As for Nasyrova’s motive in stealing Ms. Tsvyk’s identity? Nasyrova feared a return to Russia, where she has been accused of murder in a 2014 killing.
As a Russian citizen, Nasyrova likely will be deported there after the conclusion of her 21-year prison term.
Foreign nationals accused of major crimes in their native countries often are deported quickly to face justice there or even if not, deported to serve their U.S. sentences in that country’s prisons, as a humanitarian gesture toward their families.
Current political disputes between the U.S. and Russia over the Ukraine war and the Kremlin’s detention of such American citizens as Marine Paul Whelan, basketball player Britney Griner and reporter Evan Gershkovich would make such an accommodation unlikely.
While exiting the courtroom Wednesday, Nasyrova remained defiant, yelling out expletives to the judge, according to the New York Post.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.