OneCoin founder Ruja Ignatova, often known as “Cryptoqueen,” was added to the checklist of the FBI’s Ten Most Wished Fugitives for her function in allegedly defrauding traders of greater than $4 billion.
This motion was taken by the FBI in New York, together with the US Lawyer’s Workplace within the Southern District of New York and the IRS Legal Investigation Newark Area Workplace. The Federal Bureau of Investigation additionally supplied a reward of as much as $100,000 for info that might result in her seize.
Indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2017, a warrant for Ignatova’s arrest was issued by the US District Courtroom for the Southern District of New York at the moment. Ignatova was charged with one rely of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one rely of wire fraud, one rely of conspiracy to commit cash laundering, one rely of securities fraud, and one rely of conspiracy to commit securities fraud in a superseding indictment that was handed down in February of 2018.
In accordance with investigators, Ignatova is suspected of being concerned in a fraudulent operation of great scope. It’s believed that Ignatova and others started defrauding traders round 2014. The amount of cash concerned is estimated to be within the billions of {dollars}.
She was the brains behind the challenge that might later grow to be often called OneCoin Ltd., situated in Bulgaria, and promoted a product that claimed to be a cryptocurrency. Allegedly, to place the plan into movement, Ignatova engaged in misleading conduct towards folks by making false claims and representations to them about OneCoin funding alternatives.
Ignatova reportedly urged victims to maneuver funding quantities to OneCoin accounts to accumulate OneCoin packages, leading to victims sending wire transfers reflecting their investments. She is accused of partaking on this fraudulent exercise. All through the conspiracy, it’s suspected that victims misplaced greater than $4 billion attributable to fraud dedicated by OneCoin. Ignatova was OneCoin’s prime chief till October 2017, when she stepped down.
In March 2019, Ignatova was arrested within the USA for allegedly working a pyramid scheme. In Could of the identical 12 months, the OneCoin founder was sued by a former investor over an alleged multi-billion greenback fraud.
In Could 2022, the OneCoin founder was declared wished in Europe by the Worldwide Legal Police Group (Interpol) for fraud and cash laundering.
