One of the Onecoin co-founders, Ruja Ignatova, otherwise known as the ‘Cryptoqueen,’ has been added to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list on Thursday. In addition to adding the Cryptoqueen to the most wanted list, the FBI is offering a reward of up to $100K for tips that lead to the 42-year-old woman’s arrest.
However, Onecoin’s management, recruits, and Ignatova promoted the project as if it was a “bitcoin killer.” From late 2014 to March 2016, Ignatova pitched Onecoin sales and recruited members on a regular basis. During the end of the scheme’s functional state, the company issued a notice that said operations would pause for two weeks. By January 2017, the Onecoin exchange xcoinx shut down indefinitely and Ignatova disappeared.
The following month, on June 30, 2022, the FBI added the Cryptoqueen to the U.S.-based Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. The list introduced in March 1950 was created to promote the capture of America’s criminal masterminds. Over the last 72 years, Ignatova joins the list as the 11th woman to be selected by the FBI.
There are so many victims all over the world who were financially devastated by this. We want to bring her to justice.
Investigators say before the Cryptoqueen fled, she had black hair and brown eyes, but the FBI believes “she could have altered her physical appearance.” The domestic intelligence and security service says Ignatova speaks fluent Bulgarian, German, and English.
“She may be traveling on a fraudulent passport and has known connections to Bulgaria, Germany, Russia, Greece, and the United Arab Emirates,” the FBI’s press release further details. The FBI is asking tipsters to reach out to any local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy to provide information about the Cryptoqueen’s whereabouts.
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