FBI Considers Ruja Ignatova a Top Fugitive

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) added Ruja Ignatova, also known as "Crypto Queen", to its list of "Ten Most Wanted Fugitives" for her role in the Ponzi scheme OneCoin.

• The FBI added Ruja Ignatova to the list in a press release on Thursday (June 30, 2022). The Bureau is offering a $100,000 reward for "information leading to her arrest."
• The US government is seeking the extradition of OneCoin's founder, who calls herself Crypto Queen. The scheme was launched in 2014 and has since been used to steal money from investors worldwide.
• The press release states that Ignatova made false statements and representations to persuade people to invest in the project, as well as calling OneCoin a “Bitcoin Killer.”

• In 2017, the Southern District of New York issued a warrant for Ignatova’s arrest following her disappearance, and later in February 2018 filed a superseding indictment.
• The founder of OneCoin is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, wire fraud, securities fraud, and money laundering.
• Authorities say that Ignatova "may travel on a German passport" to the United Arab Emirates, Bulgaria, Germany, Russia, Greece and/or Eastern Europe. Her last known location was Athens in October 2017; she had been in Bulgaria before that.
• Konstantin Ignatov, the brother of the Crypto Queen, was arrested in 2019 and pled guilty to fraud and money laundering charges. His sentencing has not yet been decided.
• In May 2022, Europol included Ignatova on its list of most wanted fugitives, offering a €5,000 reward to anyone who could reveal her location. The latest development happened shortly after that.