Once Crypto Queen, Now Europe’s Most Wanted Fugitive
2022.05.13 15:46
Once Crypto Queen, Now Europe’s Most Wanted Fugitive
- Crypto queen Dr Ruja Ignatova has been added to Europol’s most wanted list.
- She was on the run since the OneCoin scam was exposed in 2017.
- The agency is offering a bounty of €5000 on any information on the swindler.
Dr Ruja Ignatova, founder of crypto scam OneCoin, is now on Europol’s most wanted list. The Bulgarian citizen and master fraudster was placed on a fugitive list for her role in the OneCoin crypto fraud.
“Dr Ruja is suspected of having, as the driving force and intellectual inventor of the alleged cryptocurrency OneCoin, induced investors all over the world to invest in this actually worthless currency”, reads the description on Europol’s website.
The law enforcement agency also adds that she has been missing since October 2017. Additionally, there is also a €5000 reward offered to anyone who can offer information leading to her arrest.
The details were also posted on Interpol’s Twitter (NYSE:TWTR) account:
RED NOTICE: Ruja Ignatova, dubbed ‘the Cryptoqueen’, is #wanted by Germany @bka for fraud and money laundering. A reward is offered for information leading to the arrest of the co-founder of the alleged cryptocurrency ‘OneCoin’ in hiding since 2017. https://t.co/vz1hwxok9p pic.twitter.com/jvGb8pg6gz
— INTERPOL (@INTERPOL_HQ) May 11, 2022
The OneCoin scam, which was carried out in 2017, is arguably one of the biggest frauds in history. The coin established itself as an alternative to Bitcoin and attracted investors from all over the world. The pyramid scheme was so successful that it reeled in over £12.7 billion from investors. Interestingly, Ignatova is often compared to Bernie Madoff, the infamous conman.
The scam even turned out to be the subject of the BBC podcast show titled “The Missing Cryptoqueen”. The podcast was based on Jamie Bartlett’s book by the same name.
Much to the relief of investors, most of the people around this scam have been arrested. This includes co-founder Karl Sebastian Greenwood, Ignatova’s brother Konstantin, her corporate lawyer Mark Scott and her former lover, Gilbert Armenta.
Jamie Bartlett believes that Ignatova might be traveling on a fake passport under a fake name, maybe even with a different face. Therefore, the chances of her being arrested are unlikely. Nonetheless, if she is caught, her trial will certainly be something the crypto community will look forward to.
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