Federal indictment: ~$2M fraud scheme with counterfeit graded Pokémon (and sports) cards
· Pokémon TCG — counterfeit / marketplace authenticity / graded-slab fraud
DOJ-provided photo of fraudulent 1999 Pokémon cards (per HeraldNet).
DOJ USAO SDNY / HeraldNet · Source
The Everett Herald (HeraldNet) reported that Anthony Curcio and Iosif “Joe” Bondarchuk were indicted in U.S. District Court (Southern District of New York) on wire fraud and conspiracy charges. Prosecutors (U.S. Attorney Damian Williams quoted) alleged a nationwide scheme of ~$2M in fraudulent and attempted sales by selling lower-grade cards inside forged grading-company cases and labels showing inflated grades — including counterfeit or fraudulent 1999 Pokémon cards sold to an undercover purchaser. Sales ran through an online Manhattan marketplace, shops, auctions, and card shows. This is court/DOJ acknowledgment of graded-card fraud involving Pokémon, not a TPCi product-counterfeit crackdown presser.
Sources
Note
Published charges and allegations. This article is not a completed conviction write-up.