Ruja Ignatova referred to herself because the Crypto Queen and he or she’s now again within the highlight, a minimum of type of, when information in regards to the sale of a complicated London penthouse hogged the headlines.
Ignatova introduced her firm, OneCoin, as a worthwhile competitor to Bitcoin within the increasing cryptocurrency sector.
In June 2016, bitcoin was an rising pattern and traders had been desperate to capitalize. In October of 2017, Ignatova fully disappeared from public view.
That point, the 42-year outdated Bulgarian-born German citizen crypto entrepreneur was within the preliminary phases of what would change into a $4 billion Ponzi scheme.
OneCoin was a phony cryptocurrency, and its founder, Ignatova, has been lacking for 5 years and is presently on the FBI’s 10 Most Wished listing. She can also be one among Europe’s most sought fugitives.
Picture credit score: YLE
Penthouse Sale Gave Crypto Queen Away
When an opulent London penthouse condominium was marketed as on the market in the marketplace, it appeared that the “lacking crypto queen” was organizing a sale from underground.
In response to sources, a penthouse condominium within the London district of Kensington, England, was posted on the market some days in the past for $15.5 million, then lowered to $13.6 million.
Senior prosecutor Gerald Ruebsam expects that the funds from the sale of the London penthouse could in the future be used to repay the victims of OneCoin.
He mentioned:
“It’s not clear but whether or not cash will go to OneCoin traders, we have now to attend and see how issues progress.”
Knight Frank, a Status vendor of luxurious actual property, marketed the property however shortly eliminated the itemizing when it was found that Ignatova had ties to it.
Investigative reporter Jamie Bartlett mentioned:
“It suggests she remains to be alive, and there are paperwork on the market someplace which comprise very important clues as to her latest whereabouts.”
‘Idiots’ And ‘Insane’
Ignatova and her enterprise companion Sebastian Greenwood deceived crypto followers by stating their cryptocurrency token OneCoin could be a “Bitcoin Killer.”
In 2016, when traders clapped and whistled, she acknowledged, “In two years, no person will focus on Bitcoin anymore.”
OneCoin is without doubt one of the largest worldwide fraud schemes ever perpetrated, federal officers mentioned.
In a press release, IRS Particular Agent John R. Tafur disclosed:
“The cryptocurrency OneCoin was established for the only real function of defrauding traders.”
Ignatova and Greenwood started selling the fraudulent coin to potential traders in 2014, promising a return of between fivefold and tenfold.
They referred to their traders as “idiots” and “insane” at one level.
$100,000 Bounty For Crypto Queen
The Crypto Queen is now the one girl on the FBI’s Most Wished listing.
Crypto whole market cap at $1 trillion on the weekend chart | Chart: TradingView.com
A word seems on the backside of her FBI wished poster:
“Ignatova is believed to journey with armed guards and/or associates. Ignatova could have had cosmetic surgery or in any other case altered her look.”
Sebastian Greenwood, co-founder of OneCoin, pled responsible in New York to fraud and cash laundering expenses in December 2022.
In the meantime, authorities are dangling a $100,000 reward for any data that might result in the arrest of the Crypto Queen.
Featured picture from The Telegraph