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The infamous “crypto queen” is suspected of having operated on her face in order not to be found.
Now Ruja Ignatova, 42, has been added to the FBI’s list of the ten most wanted criminals.
$ 100,000 is offered to anyone who has information that could lead to an arrest.
Ruja Ignatova is accused of defrauding four billion dollars by selling the fake cryptocurrency “Onecoin”.
Now Ignatova, also known as the Crypto Queen, has been added to the FBI’s famous list of the ten most hunted criminals in the world. This reports CNN which refers to US authorities.
In 2019, she was prosecuted for several cases of both IT and securities fraud. This after running the company “Onecoin Ltd” as a pyramid scheme where she tricked people into investing in the useless cryptocurrency.
“She made sure she had a perfect plan,” said Damian Williams, a federal prosecutor in New York.
Disappeared without a trace
The company has been called one of the world’s largest Ponzi scams. Which is when fraudsters promise a high return on investment where the money is instead used to keep the fraud going.
Since 2017, the crypto queen has disappeared without a trace. After she eavesdropped on her boyfriend’s apartment, she learned that he was collaborating with the FBI.
After this, she boarded a flight to Greece. She has not been seen since. The FBI suspects she may have undergone cosmetic surgery to avoid them, reports The Guardian.
The FBI is appealing for tips
The FBI is offering $ 100,000 to anyone who comes in with tips that could lead to Ignatova being arrested, says Michael Driscoll, the FBI’s deputy chief in New York.
The FBI does not want to comment on whether they have managed to get the crypto queen on the trail yet. But they state that the reason she has been added to the “Most wanted list” is because it believes that the public can be of great help in this case.
– She disappeared with huge sums of money. And money can be used to buy many friends, which I think she has used, says Michael Driscoll.
Also wanted by Europol
Ruja Ignatova comes from Bulgaria but is today a German citizen. The fraud company Onecoin Ltd was based in Bulgaria.
In 2019, she was charged along with former lawyer Mark Scott for laundering around $ 400 million through the company.
In May earlier this year, she was added to Europol’s list of most wanted criminals, and now the FBI has followed suit.