In 2016, a Russian woman in New York named Viktoria Nasyrova attempted to poison her beautician and doppelgänger, Olga Tsvyk, with a slice of cheesecake containing a strong sedative.
The two women were similar in appearance. They both had dark hair, the same skin complexion, and spoke Russian. Olga survived the murder attempt, and when she returned home from the hospital, she realized that her identification documents had been stolen.
In August 2016, Viktoria went to Olga’s house for an eyelash appointment. She brought a box of cheesecake with her and ate two pieces herself. She offered a third, poisoned slice to Olga.
After eating the dessert, Olga started vomiting and went to lie down. The last thing she saw before passing out was Viktoria walking around the room. She was cleaning up the vomit with paper towels.
The next day, Olga’s friend found her lying unconscious on the bed. She was wearing lacy lingerie instead of her own clothes, and pills were scattered all over the floor to make it look like she had taken her own life.
Her room was 107 degrees, and the remote control to adjust the heater was tossed under her bed.
It was suspicious because clearly, someone had intentionally turned up the heat, even though it was late summer, and didn’t want it to be turned off.
When Olga returned home from the hospital, her Ukrainian passport, U.S. work permit, jewelry, and about $4,000 in cash were missing. A strong sedative called phenazepam was detected in the remnants of the cheesecake.
The pills on her floor were the same drug. Phenazepam cannot be legally obtained in the U.S. It can be fatal if a person’s body temperature goes above a certain temperature.
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Viktoria was arrested on March 20, 2017, and sentenced to 21 years in prison for poisoning Olga and trying to steal her identity. She will receive five years of supervision upon her release.
“A ruthless and calculating con artist is going to prison for a long time for trying to murder her way to personal profit and gain. Thankfully, the victim survived the attack on her life, and we were able to deliver justice to her,” said Melinda Katz, Queens District Attorney.
It was not the first time that she had gotten into trouble with the law. Interpol issued an arrest warrant for Viktoria in 2015 for the murder of a woman in Russia the year before.
She allegedly killed her neighbor and stole her life savings. According to media reports, Viktoria has been accused of drugging and robbing men from dating websites.
In 2023, she told the New York Post that she has been selling 3D art in prison. She continues to insist that she is innocent.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
