New York City woman found guilty of trying to kill friend with poisoned cheesecake

A jury found Viktoria Nasyrova guilty of poisoning her look-alike friend with cheesecake in order to steal her identity.

On Wednesday, Nasyrova, 47, was convicted of attempted murder, attempted assault, unlawful imprisonment and petit larceny. She is scheduled to be sentenced on March 21 and faces up to 25 years in prison. 

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said evidence shows that in 2016, Nasyrova visited the Queens apartment of the then-35-year-old victim with a cheesecake in hand. Back then, Nasyrova and the victim strongly resembled each other — both with dark hair as well as similar skin complexions — and both spoke Russian.

The victim ate the cheesecake Nasyrova gave her and began to feel ill, eventually passing out, prosecutors said. Her last memory was of Nasyrova walking around her room and she awoke the following day after her friend found her unconscious in her bed with pills scattered around her body as if she attempted to take her own life, prosecutors said.

According to prosecutors, after visiting the hospital the victim returned home and realized that valuables, including jewelry and important documents such as her passport and employment authorization card, were missing. 

"Law enforcement agents with Homeland Security tested cheesecake residue found in the container and confirmed the sweet treat was laced with phenazepam, a highly potent sedative," prosecutors said. 

Drug Enforcement Administration agents also confirmed that the pills found on the floor of where the victim was discovered were also phenazepam, prosecutors said. 

"The jury saw through the deception and schemes of the defendant," 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," Katz said. "The defendant deserves to be held accountable for her crime with a long term of incarceration."