(Trends Wide) — A New York woman who used a drugged cheesecake in an attempt to kill a friend and steal her identity was sentenced to more than two decades in prison Wednesday, authorities announced.
Viktoria Nasyrova, 47, was convicted in February of attempted manslaughter, attempted premeditated assault, attempted manslaughter, premeditated false imprisonment and petty theft, according to a news release from the Queens County District Attorney.
The plot took place on August 28, 2016, according to the statement. Nasyrova visited the home of Olga Tsvyk, a woman who resembled her with “dark hair, the same complexion and other similar physical features,” the statement said, citing evidence used in the case. They both speak Russian.
Nasyrova brought a slice of cheesecake laced with a very powerful sedative, the statement said, adding that after Tsvyk ate the offered dessert, she felt sick and passed out.
His “last memory was seeing Nasyrova walking through his room,” according to the prosecutor’s office.
The next day, Tsvyk was found unconscious in bed, surrounded by pills, “as if she had attempted suicide,” the statement said, and taken to a hospital.
Pills containing the strong sedative phenazepam were found around the unconscious body of the victim in what authorities say was a suicide attempt by Nasyrova. Queens District Attorney
Drug tests by federal law enforcement officers later discovered that the pills and cheesecake residue contained the sedative phenazepam, according to the prosecutor’s office.
When he got home, Tsvyk discovered that his passport, work authorization card, and other valuables—worth more than $3,000—were missing from his home.
Nasyrova was sentenced to 21 years in prison on Wednesday.
“(Nasyrova) mixed a slice of cheesecake with a deadly drug so she could steal her unsuspecting victim’s most valuable possession, her identity. Fortunately, the victim survived and the poison led directly to the culprit,” Queens County District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a February statement.
Katz described Nasyrova, a Russian citizen and Brooklyn resident, as “a ruthless and calculating con artist” who attempted to “murder her way for personal gain and gain” in the press release.
Nasyrova’s lawyer, José Nieves, told Trends Wide that he filed a notice of appeal to challenge his client’s conviction and sentence. He described the 21-year sentence as “excessive and inappropriate, given the circumstances of Ms. Nasryrova’s life, her history of mental illness, her family support, and her traumatic experiences while she lived in the United States.”
He added that since Nasyrova is a Russian citizen, she will likely be deported after her release from prison. The appeal “will focus on the legal procedural errors and evidentiary issue that occurred during her trial,” she said.
Phenazepam is administered as a prescription drug in Russia, but “does not currently have an accepted medical use in the United States,” according to the US Department of Justice. There is an illicit market for the drug, which is sometimes used recreationally, in the US and the UK, according to the Justice Department.
