Ruja Ignatova , who in the past tense dubbed herself the “ Cryptoqueen , ” is now sitting with a fancy crown in a unexampled royal court : the FBI’stop 10 most need .
FBI officials and federal prosecutors announced Ignatova ’s fresh naming in a military press conference Thursday . Ignatova was charged in 2019 with telegram faker , security fraud , and conspiracy to institutionalize money laundering for her part in theOneCoin crypto companythat prosecutors alleged was just a ponzi scheme .
Michael Driscoll , the FBI ’s assistant film director - in - charge for New York pass up to answerReuters ’ head whether they had any confidential information , but tell Ignatova “ leave with a marvellous amount of Johnny Cash , ” adding , “ money can buy a lot of protagonist . ”
Ruja Ignatova, the once-founder of OneCoin, is now on the FBI’s top 10 most wanted.Screenshot: FBI Video
The#FBIhas constitute Ruja Ignatova to its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List . She is wanted for her alleged involvement in a large - scale fraud dodging imply cryptocurrency . Up to $ 100,000 reinforcement offer for information extend to her collar : https://t.co / oU7EKYqaCipic.twitter.com / tJ8co8aqx0
— FBI Most Wanted ( @FBIMostWanted)June 30 , 2022
Ignatova was part of a Bulgaria - based crypto company called OneCoin . The company claim they were performing a regular crypto mining surgical process — generating Modern tokens tot to a blockchain — and pump out $ 3.78 billion in revenue from the end of 2014 to the middle of 2016 . But despite the upward momentum , investigators from the U.S. Department of Justicereportedthat OneCoin ’s economic value was rigged internally , that the coin were fundamentally worthless , and user could not even trace ownership of the coins . The DOJ aver those at the head of the fellowship made most $ 2.5 billion in gain that they squirreled away in fellowship coin bank invoice .
Damian Williams , the U.S. lawyer for the Southern District of New York , told reporters Ignatova capitalized “ on the frenzied hypothesis of the early days of cryptocurrency . ”
In an FBI - providedvideoof Ignatova speaking at a London caller event dated June , 2016 , Ignatova boasted about her two million combat-ready users , total “ no other cryptocurrency has as many user as we do , ”
Bloombergreported that after Ignatova grew fishy that the feds were onto her , she fled to Greece and then investigators turn a loss track of her .
In 2019 , the U.S.unsealed an indictmentagainst Ignatova , charge her with the previously advert litany of fiscal offence . That same year , Konstantin Ignatova , one of OneCoin ’s founder and Ruja ’s brother , waschargedwith conspiracy to commit telegram imposter . Konstantin managed to geta plea raft , and though his sentencing was set for May 13 , his attorneys adjourned the engagement for 90 days so he could further cooperate with authorities .
The Cryptoqueen has evaded police hands and continue at large to this day . So , the FBI says it ’ll bear up to a $ 100,000 reward for any info that pass to an stop .
In addition , U.S. prosecutorspreviously convictedformer corporate lawyer Mark Scott of conspiracy to consecrate money laundering and conspiracy to invest bank fraud for wash around $ 400 million for the ship’s company . Konstantin Ignatovatestified against Scottat his trial . Scott is contest his guilty finding of fact by claim Ruja lie on the stand , harmonise to Bloomberg .
CrimeCryptocurrencyHumansLaw , CrimeMoney laundering
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