Ruja Ignatova has been added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, the agency announced today. Ignatova is wanted for allegedly being the mastermind behind a huge global fraud scheme that affected millions of investors. A reward of up to $100,000 from the FBI is being offered for information that results in her capture.
Ignatova and her business partner established OneCoin, a firm with its headquarters in Bulgaria, in 2014. OneCoin was promoted as a brand-new virtual currency that will “Bitcoin killer.” In order to encourage individuals to invest in OneCoin packages, Ignatova is accused of making fraudulent claims and representations concerning the cryptocurrency. Investigators claim that Ignatova and her business partner allegedly encouraged OneCoin investors to sell extra packages to friends and relatives in order to promote OneCoin.
Ignatova used the enthusiasm for cryptocurrency to attract additional investors. Investigators contend that OneCoins were not mined in the manner typical to cryptocurrencies, despite the corporation allegedly using various phrases related to virtual currencies. Additionally, the business set the value of OneCoin rather than market demand.
“OneCoin claimed to have a private blockchain,” said Special Agent Ronald Shimko, who is investigating the case out of the FBI’s New York Field Office. “This is in contrast to other virtual currencies, which have a decentralized and public blockchain. In this case, investors were just asked to trust OneCoin.”
OneCoin is thought to have defrauded individuals all around the world out of billions throughout the course of the scam. Ignatova, according to Shimko, targeted people who might not have completely comprehended cryptocurrency concepts but were impressed by Ignatova’s remarkable background and OneCoin’s marketing tactics.
Ignatova was charged on October 12, 2017, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, and a federal arrest order was issued. Investigators think Ignatova may have received information that she was being looked into by American and foreign agencies. On October 25, 2017, she flew from Sofia, Bulgaria, to Athens, Greece, but she hasn’t been seen since.
Ignatova was charged with one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to engage money laundering, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, and securities fraud in a superseding indictment that was released on February 6, 2018.
Shimko hopes that the publicity of the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list will bring more awareness to the case. “There are so many victims all over the world who were financially devastated by this,” Shimko said. “We want to bring her to justice.”
In the 72-year history of the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, Ignatova is just the 11th woman to be chosen. She is 42 years old, with dark brown to black hair and brown eyes. Investigators think she might have changed her physical appearance, nevertheless.
Ignatova is trilingual in Bulgarian, German, and English. She has links to Bulgaria, Germany, Russia, Greece, and the United Arab Emirates and could be travelling on a fake passport. Shimko remarked that Ignatova led a wealthy lifestyle before she vanished.
Please get in touch with your neighbourhood FBI office or the American Embassy or Consulate if you know anything regarding Ruja Ignatova’s whereabouts.
On the website tips.fbi.gov, tips can be submitted both anonymously and online.