Ruja Ignatova, known as the ‘Crypto Queen’, has been placed on the FBI’s 10 most wanted list.
Ignatova defrauded thousands of people with billions of euros, saying that she was developing a cryptocurrency to rival Bitcoin and disappeared into obscurity.
It is calculated that between August 2014 and March 2017, billions of euros flowed into OneCoin from dozens of countries, from Pakistan to Brazil, Canada to Norway and even Palestine.
The success of the OneCoin heist is attributed to the fact that it is not only a fake cryptocurrency, but also a pyramid scheme.
MADE US$ 4 BILLION
With this so-called Ponzi scheme, Ignatova made $4 billion until her disappearance in 2017.
Manhattan Federal Attorney Damian Williams said that Ignatova used the confusion of the early years of cryptocurrencies to plan the fraud with the perfect timing.
The FBI is adding fugitives to its ‘most wanted list’ in order to get tip-off aid from the wider community.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation announced a reward of 100 thousand dollars for information that will contribute to the arrest of the Bulgarian woman.
LAST VIEWED TAKING A PLANE TO GREECE
Ignatova was prosecuted for eight different banking crimes in 2019.
Ruja Ignatova is the only woman on this list.
Jamie Bartlett, who followed the news for the BBC, said the FBI listing was the most important development since Ignatova’s disappearance in 2017.
Bartlett cites the fact that she escaped with at least $500 million as the most important reason for not finding the fraudulent woman.
The journalist also says that the Bulgarian woman uses high-quality identities and is believed to have changed her appearance.
Ignatova was last seen boarding a flight from Bulgaria to Greece in 2017.