Cheesecake Murder Plotter Curses at Judge

A Russian-born woman in New York has been sentenced to 21 years in prison for trying to kill her doppelganger friend with poisoned cheesecake. Viktoria Nasyrova laced the cheesecake with a powerful sedative before offering it to her eyelash stylist, 35-year-old Olga Tsvyk, who resembled her, in August 2016. When Tsvyk fell unconscious, Nasyrova spread pills around her body to make it appear as though she committed suicide, then stole Tsvyk's passport and work authorization card in an identity theft scheme, per the BBC. Tsvyk survived, however, and the murder plot unraveled. Nasyrova was convicted of attempted murder, assault, and unlawful imprisonment in February.

Before sentencing was handed down Wednesday, Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder called 47-year-old Nasyrova—who is also accused of murdering a neighbor in her native Russia—"an extremely dangerous woman" who concocted a "diabolical" scheme. Nasyrova responded by yelling "F--- you" toward the judge, the New York Post reports. In an impact statement Wednesday, Tsvyk said she was traumatized by the ordeal, which left her unable to sleep, terrified to go to work, distrustful of people, and fearful that Nasyrova “would come back and finish what she started," per the Post.

"For her, it was an easy thing to try and take the life of another person," Tsvyk said. "It was easy thing to gain the trust of another person and then take everything from that person." Nasyrova is accused of killing and burning the body of a neighbor in Russia in 2014 before fleeing to the US. Interpol issued a Red Notice for Nasyrova's arrest in 2016. She's also been accused of drugging and robbing men. Her sentence is just four years shy of the maximum she could have received, which defense attorney Jose Nieves described as "excessive." He plans to file an appeal, according to the Post. He said his client suffered untreated mental illness and hopes to reunite with a young son with a "debilitating" disease "before this illness ends his life." (More attempted murder stories.)