New York Woman Convicted of Poisoning Lookalike's Cheesecake in Plot to Steal Her Identity

Viktoria Nasyrova, now 47, was convicted of attempted murder, assault, unlawful imprisonment and petit larceny in connection with the 2016 poisoning of her former beautician in New York

Viktoria Nasyrova.

A 47-year-old woman who tried to murder her lookalike friend by giving her a cheesecake laced with a deadly poison in a plot to steal the woman's identity has been found guilty in a New York courtroom.

Viktoria Nasyrova, a Russia native, was convicted on Thursday of attempted murder, assault, unlawful imprisonment and petit larceny in connection with the 2016 poisoning of her former beautician, Olga Tsvyk, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced in news release.

In the summer of 2016, Nasyrova went to Tsvyk's home in Queens, N.Y., and offered her a piece of cheesecake that was tainted with phenazepam — a powerful tranquilizer — in order to kill the woman and steal her identity.

"The jury saw through the deception and schemes of the defendant," the news release reads. "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."

Tsvyk said she became ill about 20 minutes after eating the dessert and went to lie down. Her friend found her the next day unconscious and with pills scattered around her body, which were purposely placed there to make it look like Tsvyk committed suicide.

She was taken to the hospital and recovered, but when she returned home, she discovered "her passport and employment authorization card were missing, along with a gold ring and other valuables," the statement reads.

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At the time of the murder attempt, "the victim and Nasyrova resembled one another — both had dark hair, the same skin complexion and other similar physical traits," Katz's statement reads. "Additionally, they were both Russian speakers."

Nasyrova will be sentenced next month and faces up to 25 years in prison.

According to earlier reporting by PEOPLE, this is not Nasyrova's first run-in with the law. She is also wanted in Russia on murder charges in connection with the the 2014 death of her neighbor at the time, 54-year-old Alla Aleksenko. Nasyrova fled to New York after she was accused of killing the woman and stealing her money.

Nasyrova allegedly seduced the lead detective in her prosecution in that case, and he allegedly facilitated her escape. She has denied any involvement in Aleksenko's death.