‘Crypto Queen’ Wanted: FBI Puts $5 Million Price Tag On OneCoin Founder’s Arrest
2024年6月27日 - 12:00PM
NEWSBTC
The United States government has recently announced a substantial
reward of up to $5 million for any information leading to the
arrest of Ruja Ignatova, the founder of OneCoin. This
development comes as part of a joint investigation conducted by
Bulgarian and American authorities into a large-scale financial
fraud and money laundering scheme. One Of The FBI’s Most
Wanted Bulgaria’s temporary chief prosecutor, Borislav Sarafov,
highlighted the collaborative efforts between Bulgarian and US law
enforcement agencies in tackling the case. Sarafov emphasized the
ongoing investigations in both countries against Ignatova, who is
facing charges related to the notorious OneCoin financial pyramid
scheme. Furthermore, Sarafov revealed plans to initiate legal
proceedings in Bulgaria, aiming to charge Ignatova in absentia and
facilitate the seizure of assets acquired through illicit means.
Related Reading: Can Terra Classic Rise From The Ashes? Analyst
Foresees 1,500% Price Increase US Ambassador Kenneth Merten
underscored the gravity of the charges against Ignatova, labeling
the OneCoin scheme as one of the largest frauds in
history. Victims of this scheme have allegedly been defrauded
of over $4 billion. Plamen Tonchev, the head of Bulgaria’s
State Agency “National Security” (SANS), shed light on Ignatova’s
role in the OneCoin scheme, describing it as a “fraudulent
financial operation” closely resembling a pyramid scheme. The
Rise And Fall Of OneCoin The story of OneCoin dates back to 2014,
when Ruja Ignatova founded the company, claiming that it functioned
just like any other cryptocurrency. However, it was revealed that
there was no authentic OneCoin blockchain model or payment
system. As questions and investigations started to arise in
multiple countries, with some labeling it a pyramid scheme, the
credibility of OneCoin began to crumble. The Norwegian Direct
Selling Association was among the first to denounce the fraud as a
pyramid scheme in March 2016, followed by a warning from the
Hungarian Central Bank in May of the same year. Related Reading:
Bitcoin Selloff: German Gov’t Offloads Another $67 Million As Price
Wobbles In 2017, OneCoin falsely claimed to be the first company
licensed by the Vietnamese government for use as a digital
currency, a claim that Vietnam promptly refuted. The following
year, the Bulgarian police raided OneCoin’s office, resulting in
Ignatova’s disappearance when an arrest warrant was issued.
Ignatova’s brother, Konstantin Ignatov, subsequently assumed
company leadership, while co-founder Sebastian Greenwood was
arrested in 2018. Konstantin himself was apprehended in November
2019 and later pleaded guilty to fraud and money laundering
charges. Ignatova, a fugitive since evading arrest by fleeing
from Sofia to Athens in 2017, was added to the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted
Fugitives list in 2022. Featured image from DALL-E, chart
from TradingView.com
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