The U.S. Department of State announces a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Ruja Ignatova, co-founder of the Onecoin cryptocurrency fraud, who has been a fugitive since 2017.
United States, Bollywood Fever: The U.S. government has announced a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Ruja Ignatova, the co-founder of Onecoin, who is wanted for orchestrating one of the largest global fraud schemes. Ignatova has been a fugitive since 2017 after Onecoin defrauded investors of over $4 billion.
The U.S. Department of State revealed the reward offer on Wednesday under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program. The official announcement stated:
“The Department of State is announcing a reward offer of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of German national Ruja Ignatova, wanted in the United States for her participation in one of the largest global fraud schemes in history.”
Ignatova, co-founder of Onecoin Ltd., began defrauding investors worldwide around 2014 in Bulgaria. She promoted Onecoin as a digital currency investment through false statements and misrepresentations, which attracted billions of dollars from investors. By 2017, Onecoin is believed to have defrauded victims of over $4 billion.
On October 12, 2017, Ignatova was indicted by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Two weeks later, she fled from Sofia, Bulgaria, to Athens, Greece, to evade arrest and has been a fugitive since. In February 2018, a superseding indictment added charges of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and securities fraud.
In 2022, Ignatova was added to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives List. The FBI offered a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to her arrest. Germany has also charged her criminally for her involvement in the transnational fraud scheme. She is also among Europe’s most wanted fugitives.
The Department of State’s announcement emphasized:
“Today’s reward offer of up to $5 million is authorized by the Secretary under the Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program, which supports law enforcement efforts to disrupt transnational crime globally and bring fugitives to justice.”
Despite multiple efforts to track her down, Ignatova’s whereabouts remain unknown. There have been unconfirmed reports suggesting that she might have been killed, adding a layer of mystery and intrigue to the case. However, without concrete evidence, these reports remain speculative, and the search for Ignatova continues.
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