42-year-old Viktoria Nasyrova of Sheepshead Bay was arraigned Tuesday on attempted murder, burglary, assault and other charges and ordered held without bail. She was arrested in March last year. Her lawyer declined to comment.
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Prosecutors say Nasyrova visited the Queens home of the fellow Russian speaking victim in 2016 bearing a cheesecake tainted with a tranquilizer.
They say the 35-year-old victim ate the cheesecake, fell ill and passed out. She was found the next day on her bed unconscious with pills scattered about as if she tried to kill herself.
Before passing out, the woman's last memory is of seeing the defendant sitting beside her inside her home, according to prosecutors.
The victim later realized her passport, employment card, a gold ring and cash were missing.
"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," said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown. "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. "
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Law enforcement agents with Homeland Security tested pieces of cheesecake that remained in its container and confirmed the sweet treat was laced with phenazepam, Brown said.
Nasyrova faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)