Ruzha Ignatova, also known as “Cryptoqueen,” was indicted in 2019 on eight counts, including wire fraud and securities fraud, for running Bulgaria-based OneCoin Ltd as a pyramid scheme. Prosecutors say the company offered commissions to members to lure others into buying worthless cryptocurrency.
“She planned her scheme perfectly, taking advantage of the wild speculation of the early days of cryptocurrency,” said Damien Williams, the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan.
Williams described OneCoin as “one of the biggest Ponzi schemes in history.”
Ignatova disappeared in late 2017 after she bugged an apartment belonging to her American boyfriend and learned he was cooperating with an FBI investigation into OneCoin, Williams said. She boarded a flight from Bulgaria to Greece and has been missing since then, he said.
The FBI is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to Ignatova’s capture, said Michael Driscoll, assistant director of the FBI in New York.
Driscoll declined to comment on any leads on Ignatova’s whereabouts. The bureau adds fugitives to its most wanted list when it believes the public can help track down suspects.
“She left with a huge amount of money,” Driscoll told reporters. “Money can buy a lot of friends and I’d imagine she’s taking advantage of that.”
Ignatova was charged along with Mark Scott, a former corporate lawyer who prosecutors say laundered about $400 million for OneCoin. Scott was found guilty of conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to commit bank fraud after a three-week trial in Manhattan federal court.
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