What happened to Olga Tsvyk? Incident explored as Russian woman gets 21 years for poisoning US doppelganger

Viktoria Nasyrova, a 47-year-old Russian woman, was convicted of attempting to kill her look-alike, 35-year-old Olga Tsvyk in August 2016. Viktoria was sentenced to 21 years in prison and five years of post-release supervision on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. According to the evidence presented, Olga Tsvyk physically resembled Viktoria, and both of them spoke Russian.

Viktoria was accused of feeding Olga Tsvyk a poisoned cheesecake in August 2016. Shortly after consuming the cheesecake, the 35-year-old woman began feeling sick and passed out. Olga reportedly told investigating officers that she saw Viktoria roaming around in her room, shortly before passing out.

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz described Viktoria Nasyrova as a “ruthless and calculating con artist.” It was later discovered that Nasyrova had also stolen Olga’s identity cards and some jewelry.

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Olga Tsvyk was given cheesecake laced with Phenazepam by Viktoria Nasyrova

The incident can be traced back to August 28, 2016, when Viktoria Nasyrova visited Olga Tsvyk’s residence. Viktoria claimed to have brought some cheesecake from a well-known bakery and wanted Olga to try it. It was revealed that both women had similar physical characteristics and also spoke fluent Russian.

Olga said that Viktoria had called and told her that she was in Brooklyn and wanted to bring Olga "some famous cheesecake from a famous bakery." However, Olga tol her that it wasn't needed and she could just visit the 35-year-old.

Olga Tsvyk, who is also an eyelash stylist, testified that soon after arriving, Viktoria consumed two slices of the cake before offering her the third one. Prosecutors said the third slice was poisoned and laced with Phenazepam, a Russian tranquilizer. Around 20 minutes after consuming the third slice, Olga Tsvyk began feeling sick and fainted.

A friend of hers found her the next day and rushed Olga to a local hospital. When her friend discovered Olga Tsvyk’s unconscious body, lots of pills were found scattered around her, to make it seem like she was trying to kill herself. Homeland Security officers investigated the case and discovered that the cheesecake contained residues of Phenazepam.

When Olga returned home, she found that her identity cards, including her passport, and employment authorization card were missing. She also noticed that some of her jewelry, including a gold ring, and some valuables like an expensive purse, were missing.

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Viktoria’s defense attorney stated that they will file an appeal

According to Queens DA Melinda Katz:

“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.”

Olga Tsvyk also spoke in court. She said that for Viktoria, it was an easy thing to take someone else's life. She added that it was easy for latter to gain people's trust.

In 2018, authorities took Viktoria into custody and charged her with attempted murder. In February 2023, a New York jury convicted her of second-degree attempted murder, first-degree attempted assault, second-degree assault, first-degree unlawful imprisonment, and petit larceny. On Wednesday, she received a sentence of 21 years in prison.

After the sentencing, Tsvyk said:

“I wait so many years to say that… It feels good.”

Viktoria’s defense lawyer Jose Nieves said that had the jury heard certain evidence, they would have given a different verdict. He added that they will appeal the conviction and the sentence since he believes that the sentence is too extreme for the alleged crime.

However, as of now, Viktoria was sentenced to 21 years in prison with five years of post-release supervision.