QUEENS, N.Y. — A woman allegedly tried to kill her look-alike with poisoned cheesecake in a devious attempt to steal the victim’s identity, prosecutors in Queens said Wednesday.
Viktoria Nasyrova, 42, of Brooklyn, allegedly brought a cheesecake with the drug phenazepam, a type of tranquilizer, baked into it to the victim’s home in Queens in August 2016, prosecutors said.
The 35-year-old victim dug in, but then began to feel sick and laid down, officials said. Her last memory is of seeing Nasyrova sitting beside her.
The victim was found the next day dressed in lingerie with phenazepam pills scattered around her body, a fabricated scene meant to convince investigators that the victim tried to kill herself, prosecutors said.
“This is a bizarre and twisted crime that could have resulted in the death of a Queens woman, whose only fault was that she shared similar features with the defendant,” Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. “Offering a gift of a cheesecake, the defendant is alleged to have laced the dessert with a Russian drug and presented it to the unsuspecting victim.”
When the victim returned home from the hospital, she found that her passport, employment authorization card, cash and jewelry were missing.
It is not clear why Nasyrova allegedly poisoned the woman. Investigators noted that she and the victim and the defendant resembled one another. Both have dark hair, the same skin complexion and speak Russian, they said.
Nasyrova was arrested on March 20, 2017, at which time police found the victim’s passport, employment card and ring. She faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
