Fake PSA Slabs, Real Losses: Anthony Curcio’s Trading-Card Fraud Conviction and Canada Arrest

Published Oct. 1, 2026. Case statuses are current as of that date.

Update, Oct. 12, 2026: Anthony Curcio was taken into U.S. custody at the border crossing in Blaine, Washington, on Oct. 6, 2026, and his sentencing in Manhattan federal court has been rescheduled to Nov. 18, 2026, according to government letters and a court order reported by Inner City Press [4][5]. He remains convicted and awaiting sentencing. Details below and in the case status table.

A federal jury in Manhattan convicted Anthony Curcio of Redmond, Washington, on Jan. 28–29, 2026, of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud for selling trading cards with forged Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) grades—a scheme prosecutors said attempted to deprive buyers of more than $2 million [1]. On Sept. 26, 2026, prosecutors told the court Curcio “was arrested in Canada on Friday, September 25, 2026, and presently is in Canadian immigration custody,” with his adjourned sentencing previously set for Oct. 6, 2026 [2].

Curcio’s Jan. 2026 guilty verdicts are convictions. His co-defendant Iosif Bondarchuk, 38, of Lake Stevens, Washington, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud [1].

How the scheme worked

1. Target high-value grades. The scheme focused on cards that would sell for thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars if they carried a PSA 9 or 10, especially Michael Jordan rookie cards, plus Pokémon and other collectibles [1].
2. Forge the label. Prosecutors said Curcio sold ungraded or lower-graded cards for more than they were worth by cleaning rating and serial numbers off real PSA labels and printing fake 9 or 10 grades and new serial numbers on those labels [1].
3. Use a front man. From 2022 to May 2024, Curcio directed the scheme and used Bondarchuk to interact with victims and list cards on an online marketplace and at shops, auctions, and shows [1].
4. Refund and recycle. When some buyers confronted him after discovering fraud, he refunded them, took the cards back, and resold them to new victims [1].

Trial coverage by Inner City Press described testimony that Curcio “wanted revenge on PSA,” and noted prior litigation over whether his earlier armored-car robbery conviction could be introduced [2]. After the January guilty verdicts he was not remanded before sentencing; sentencing was later put off to Oct. 6, with the Canada arrest disclosed Sept. 26 [2].

The case is USA v. Curcio, No. 1:24-cr-312 (Abrams, S.D.N.Y.) [2].

Who was convicted

• Anthony Curcio (Redmond, Wash.): convicted after trial of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud; arrested in Canada Sept. 25, 2026, and held in Canadian immigration custody as of the government’s Sept. 26 letter [1][2]. Update, Oct. 12, 2026: The government wrote to the court on Oct. 6 that Curcio “was taken into US custody at the border crossing in Blaine, Washington earlier today and will be presented on October 7 before a Magistrate Judge” in the Western District of Washington [4]. On Oct. 8, Judge Ronnie Abrams granted a government application and scheduled his sentencing for Nov. 18, 2026, at 2:30 p.m., with any supplemental sentencing submissions due Nov. 4 (government) and Nov. 12 (defense); the Oct. 6 sentencing date no longer applies [5]. Inner City Press also reported that forfeiture of Curcio's bond, with a $100,000 judgment against the bond's two sureties, was docketed Oct. 2 [4].
• Iosif Bondarchuk, 38 (Lake Stevens, Wash.): pleaded guilty to conspiracy and wire fraud; sentencing had been set for June 16 (as of the January USA TODAY report) [1]. Update, Oct. 5, 2026: The June 16 date has passed, and we found no report that Bondarchuk has been sentenced. A court filing in the case posted on PacerMonitor indicates his sentencing was adjourned, at the government's request pending Curcio's sentencing, to Oct. 14, 2026 [3].

Each count carries a statutory maximum of up to 20 years [1].

Red flags for collectors

• PSA labels that look resealed, cloudy, or mismatched to the cert number in PSA’s online population/cert lookup.
• Sellers who push “private” deals on ultra-high Jordan or Pokémon 10s at prices that seem too good.
• Reluctance to meet at a major show authenticator or to allow a third-party reholdering check.
• Cards that “bounce” through multiple flippers after a prior buyer dispute.

What to do if you're targeted

1. Check the cert on PSA’s official lookup before paying.
2. Buy from established dealers with return policies; use payment methods with dispute rights.
3. If you suspect a fake slab, stop reselling it and contact PSA and local law enforcement.
4. Report online marketplace fraud to the platform, the FTC, and the FBI at ic3.gov.
5. Preserve listing pages, messages, and shipping records.

Case status (as of Oct. 12, 2026)

Table updated Oct. 12, 2026 (previously updated Oct. 5, 2026; originally published as of Oct. 1, 2026).

Defendant	Court	Status as of Oct. 12, 2026	Source
Anthony Curcio, Redmond, WA	S.D.N.Y. 1:24-cr-312	Convicted Jan. 2026; awaiting sentencing. Taken into U.S. custody at Blaine, Wash., Oct. 6, 2026 (presented W.D. Wash. Oct. 7); sentencing rescheduled to Nov. 18, 2026. (As of Oct. 5: arrested in Canada Sept. 25; Canadian immigration custody; sentencing had been set Oct. 6.)	[1], [2], [4], [5]
Iosif Bondarchuk, 38, Lake Stevens, WA	S.D.N.Y.	Pleaded guilty; not yet sentenced; sentencing adjourned to Oct. 14, 2026, per court filing (June 16 date in Jan. 2026 report has passed). No further change found as of Oct. 12.	[1], [3]

Statuses can change.

Sources

1. Natalie Neysa Alund, “Man convicted of selling fake Michael Jordan, Pokémon trading cards,” USA TODAY, Jan. 29, 2026 (updated Jan. 30, 2026). https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/01/29/counterfeit-michael-jordan-cards-pokemon-scheme/88418860007/
2. Matthew Russell Lee, “In Pokemon Trading Card Fraud Trial Guilty Verdicts on Curcio Now Arrest in Canada,” Inner City Press, Sept. 26, 2026. https://innercitypress.com/sdny178gabramscurcioicp092626.html
3. USA v. Curcio, No. 1:24-cr-312 (S.D.N.Y.), Dkt. 154 (adjourning Iosif Bondarchuk's sentencing to Oct. 14, 2026), via PacerMonitor. https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/filings/DIDP7SIY/USA_v_CURCIO__nysdce-24-00312__0154.0.pdf
4. Matthew Russell Lee, “In Pokemon Trading Card Fraud Trial Curcio Guilty Now Back in US Custody in WDWA,” Inner City Press, Oct. 6, 2026. https://innercitypress.com/sdny178iabramscurcioicp100626.html
5. Matthew Russell Lee, “In Pokemon Trading Card Fraud Trial Curcio Guilty Now Back in US So Sentencing Nov 18,” Inner City Press, Oct. 8, 2026. https://innercitypress.com/sdny178jabramscurcioicp100826.html

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