“crypto” it is often used as an honorific within the community. Hester Peirce, a member of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, is called “Crypto Mom” for her strong support of digital assets, and Time magazine crowned Vitalik Buterin as the Crypto Prince. Nevertheless, when Ruja Ignatova was given the title “Cryptoqueen” in a 2019 true crime podcast, it was with far less fondness.
Ignatova was the creator of OneCoin, an alleged cryptocurrency that turned out to be a Ponzi scheme. According to law enforcement, his OneCoin Ltd. has defrauded more than 3 million investors over $4 billion since 2014. His company has also been accused of bribing the presidents of Serbia and Bulgaria, among other things.
Now Ignatova can add “most wanted” to her headline look, thanks to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which on Thursday included her in its top ten most wanted list and will pay up to $100,000 for information leading to his arrest. According to the FBI, Ignatova was last heard from in Athens. That was in 2017.
There will be a press conference today at 11am at 26 Federal Plaza to announce the addition of Ruja Ignatova, aka ‘Cryptoqueen’, to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list for allegedly defrauding investors of more than $4 billion through the OneCoin cryptocurrency company
— US Attorney SDNY (@SDNYnews) June 30, 2022
Today, at 11 a.m., a press conference will be held at 26 Federal Plaza to announce the addition of Ruja Ignatova, alias ‘Cryptoqueen’, to the list of the ten most wanted fugitives by the FBI for having allegedly defrauded to investors more than USD 4,000 million through the cryptocurrency company OneCoin
Ignatova was also recently listed among Europol’s Most Wanted, although she is no longer on that list.
Ignatova grew up in Germany and has a doctorate in economics. In her heyday, this ethnic Bulgarian was known for her elegant outfits and lavish parties. It drew a crowd of more than 3,000 to London’s Wembley Arena to hear it in 2016, despite suspicions about its activities already being public knowledge at the time.
Since then, OneCoin has been the subject of a class action lawsuit and its brother and associates have been put on trial. The world has taken note of the drama inherent in the case. Apparently, Kate Winslet is involved in a movie based on the experiences of a OneCoin investor. Variety reports that a three-part documentary about Ignatova has also been agreed upon.
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