Ruja Ignatova’s story became known in 2019 via the BBC podcast The Missing Cryptoqueen, which describes in detail her alleged role in an encryption scam called OneCoin. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $ 100,000 for information leading to the arrest of Ignatova, a Bulgarian woman who went missing in 2017. The FBI added that Ignatova, a German national, was believed to be traveling with armed guards and may have had cosmetic surgery to change her appearance. The 42-year-old was charged in 2019 with eight offenses, including remittance fraud and securities fraud for the operation of Bulgaria-based OneCoin Ltd as a pyramid scheme. Prosecutors say the company offered commissions to members to entice others to buy a useless cryptocurrency. Investor losses exceeded $ 4 billion. Subscribe to the First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7 p.m. BST “She perfectly dated her plan, exploiting the frantic speculation of the early days of cryptocurrency,” said Damian Williams, Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor. Williams described OneCoin as “one of the greatest Ponzi designs in history.” Ignatova disappeared in late 2017 after falling into an apartment belonging to her American friend and learning she was working on an FBI investigation into OneCoin, Williams said. He boarded a flight from Bulgaria to Greece and has not been seen since, he said. Michael Driscoll, the FBI’s assistant director in New York, declined to comment on Ignatova’s whereabouts. The office adds fugitives to the list of most wanted when it believes the public may be able to help locate them. “He left with a huge amount of cash,” Driscoll told reporters. “Money can buy a lot of friends and I imagine it takes advantage of that.” Ignatova was indicted along with Mark Scott, a former corporate lawyer who prosecutors say laundered about $ 400 million for OneCoin. Scott was found guilty of money laundering conspiracy and bank fraud after a three-week trial in Manhattan federal court.
