Woman jailed for 21 years for giving lookalike poisoned cheesecake in bid to steal her identity
20 April 2023, 08:07
A woman has been jailed for 21 years in the US for trying to kill her lookalike with a poisoned cheesecake before stealing her identity.
Russian-born Viktoria Nasyrova, 47 , was found guilty by a jury in New York in February. She was described as a “ruthless and calculating con artist.”
She visited the home of her victim, Olga Svyk in August 2016 bearing a gift of cheesecake. The woman ate the cake and felt sick before passing out.
A friend discovered her unconscious the next day, surrounded by pills designed to make it look like she had tried to take her own life, prosecutors said.
After being treated in hospital, the victim returned home to find her passport and work documents were missing, along with jewellery and other valuables.
The cheesecake was found to have been laced with phenazepam, a potent sedative.
The trial was told the two women look very similar.
Nasyrova was sentenced on Wednesday.
Queens district attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement: "A ruthless and calculating con artist is going to prison for a long time for trying to murder her way to personal profit and gain.”
Nasyrova wanted to kill Ms Svyk in an apparent bid to steal her identity in order to return to Russia.
"For her, it was an easy thing to try and take the life of another person. It was an easy thing to gain the trust of another person," Svyk said in court.
Nasyrova was described as being an “extremely dangerous” woman by the judge.
