FBI Ups Reward to $5M for OneCoin ‘Cryptoqueen’

The United States Department of State raised the reward for information leading to the capture and conviction of OneCoin founder Ruja Ignatova, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) updating its “ten most wanted fugitives” list with her.

Notably, the State Department’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program now offers a $5 million reward for tips that result in Ignatova’s arrest and conviction. Authorities confirmed Ignatova was last seen in Athens in October 2017.

Initially, the FBI offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to her capture in June 2022. They increased the amount to $250,000 in 2023. Despite these efforts, Ignatova remains at large. The FBI states she holds a German passport and may have altered her appearance through plastic surgery. Additionally, BBC investigations suggest she might have been assassinated, though this remains unconfirmed.

Legal Actions Intensify Against OneCoin ‘Cryptoqueen’

U.S. authorities charged Ignatova with fraud and money laundering in 2017 and issued a federal warrant for her arrest. In a joint statement on June 26, U.S. Ambassador to Bulgaria Kenneth Merten and Bulgaria’s Acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov announced Ignatova would face charges in absentia in Bulgaria.

OneCoin, which Ignatova established in 2014, operated as a fraudulent scheme exposed in 2015, defrauding investors of approximately $4 billion. Consequently, U.S. authorities prosecuted several associates, including Ignatova’s boyfriend Gilbert Armenta, lawyer Mark Scott, former head of legal and compliance Irina Dilkinska, co-founder Karl Sebastian Greenwood, and William Morro.

U.S. authorities prosecuted several associates of Ignatova, including her boyfriend Gilbert Armenta, lawyer Mark Scott, former head of legal and compliance Irina Dilkinska, co-founder Karl Sebastian Greenwood, and William Morro. Courts sentenced Greenwood to 20 years in prison and ordered him to forfeit $300 million. They sentenced Dilkinska to four years in prison and Scott to 10 years.

Moreover, Ignatova’s brother, Konstantin Ignatov, pleaded guilty to fraud and money laundering charges in 2019 for his role in OneCoin. He served 34 months in prison and authorities released him in March 2024.