This “Cryptoqueen” is now a crown jewel on the FBI’s most wanted list.
Ruja Ignatova, who is accused of defrauding investors of more than $4 billion, was added to the federal bureau’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitive list, the law enforcement agency announced Thursday. The 42-year-old joins a list of sought after suspects that includes alleged killers and accused drug cartel leaders.
She’s only the 11th woman ever placed on the top 10 list in its 72-year history.
Ignatova, whose nickname is “Cryptoqueen,” has been on the run since 2017. She and her partner founded OneCoin, a Bulgarian-based company that marketed purported cryptocurrency that authorities said was a scam. The FBI said millions of investors around the world were tricked into giving her money since she started OneCoin in 2014.
Federal authorities are offering up to a $100,000 reward for information that leads to her capture. They said she might be traveling with armed guards.
“There are so many victims all over the world who were financially devastated by this,” said Special Agent Ronald Shimko, who is probing the case out of the FBI’s New York field office.
“We want to bring her to justice.”
The feds believe Ignatova might’ve been tipped off that she was under federal and international probe shortly before she was first charged in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York in October 2017. She traveled from Bulgaria to Athens, Greece on Oct. 25, 2017 and has not been seen since.
She speaks English, German and Bulgarian and may be using a fake passport. She has brown eyes and dark hair, though investigators caution she might’ve changed her appearance.
Ignatova faces one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, and securities fraud.
Shimko said Ignatova, who lived lavishly, targeted people who might not have fully grasped the intricacies of cryptocurrencies, but were fooled by her impressive resume and marketing of OneCoin.
“This network was created to become and to fuel the growth of OneCoin,” she said at a 2016 London event that was shared by the FBI. “Which I strongly believe will be the number one cryptocurrency worldwide.”
She went on to claim, “OneCoin is easy to use, OneCoin is for everyone.”