NEW YORK — A woman was convicted in New York on charges she tried to kill a woman by lacing a cheesecake with a powerful drug.
Viktoria Nasyrova, 47, was found guilty Wednesday of trying to kill Olga Tsvyk with a cheesecake before stealing her passport and other valuables in 2016, The Associated Press reported.
Prosecutors described Nasyrova as carrying out a “cold and calculated plan” in which she targeted Tsvyk “to get her alone in her room, to poison her, to try to kill her and to take her identity,” Queens Assistant District Attorney Konstantinos Litourgis said during opening statements, WCBS reported.
Nasyrova had been accused of bringing a cheesecake laced with a powerful sedative to the victim as a gift.
“The jury saw through the deception and schemes of the defendant,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement. “She laced a slice of cheesecake with a deadly drug so she could steal her unsuspecting victim’s most valuable possession: her identity. Fortunately, her victim survived, and the poison led right back to the culprit.”
The cheesecake had been laced with phenazepam, a powerful toxin that is only available in Russia, WCBS reported.
Tsvyk ate the cheesecake before feeling sick and losing consciousness. A friend found near nearly comatose in bed and took her to a hospital, where she received treatment, the AP reported. When she returned home, Tsvyk noticed things were missing.
Nasyrova was accused of taking nearly $4,000 in cash, a red purse and a ring in addition to the victim’s Ukrainian passport and work authorization card, WCBS reported.
Prosecutors said that at the time, the two women looked similar. Both had dark hair, similar skin complexion and other physical traits. The two also spoke Russian.
Nasyrova faces up to 25 years in prison when she is sentenced on March 21.
“While we are disappointed with the jury’s verdict, we respect it and are exploring our options going forward,” defense attorney Christopher Hoyt told the AP.
Nasyrova is accused of drugging and killing a woman in Russia in 2014 before coming to New York, the AP reported. She has denied those allegations.
