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Law enforcement in Greece has recently attempted to locate Ruja Ignatova, founder of the notorious Onecoin pyramid scheme. According to a leading Greek daily, investigators acted on intelligence suggesting she was still in the country. Also known as the ‘Cryptoqueen’, Ignatova was last seen on a flight to Greece several years ago.
Greece has become the scene of the latest episode in the hunt for Ruja Ignatova, one of the co-founders of the notorious crypto pyramid Onecoin. The country is believed to be the last destination she visited before she disappeared almost five years ago.
Ignatova, nicknamed the ‘Cryptoqueen’, has been missing since October 25, 2017 when she boarded a Ryanair flight bound for Athens in the Bulgarian capital Sofia. She is now wanted by Interpol, Europol and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for embezzling at least $4 billion from investors in the fake cryptocurrency project.
Citing Hellenic Police (EL.AS.) sources, the Kathimerini newspaper reported this week that Greek authorities received intelligence, both locally obtained and from abroad, indicating that Ignatova was in Greece and holding meetings with certain individuals.
Less than a month ago, EL.AS became launched a special operation to arrest her. But despite the active search efforts, investigators were unable to confirm the information they had and capture her, the leading Greek daily revealed.
When the FBI added Ignatova to its list of ten most wanted fugitives, the agency said she may be traveling on a false passport and may have visited the United Arab Emirates, Bulgaria, Germany, Russia, Greece and Eastern Europe, where she has known connections .
Kathimerini’s police sources noted that a dozen countries are now working closely to determine her whereabouts and are actively exchanging material related to the case. The investigation continues in full force and in fact the police authorities are stepping up their efforts to tighten the noose around Cryptoqueen.
The FBI is offering a $100,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of the only woman among the ten fugitives in the ranking. In mid-May, Ruja Ignatova was also listed by Europol as one of Europe’s most wanted, while Interpol has issued a red notice for her accompanied by a cash reward as well.
Onecoin’s co-founder is now considered one of the world’s most enigmatic fraudsters, the newspaper notes. The 42-year-old Ignatova was born to Roma parents in Bulgaria, but when she was only ten years old her family moved to Germany and she also became a German citizen.
Ruja graduated from the University of Oxford in 2005 and later obtained a doctorate in private international law from the University of Constance. While she allegedly worked for management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, her shady career began before 2012, when she was convicted of fraud related to the acquisition of a bankrupt company and received a 14-month suspended sentence.
After a brief involvement in a multi-level scam called Big Coin the following year, in 2014 Ignatova created the Onecoin pyramid scheme around a supposedly blockchain-based cryptocurrency advertised as the “Bitcoin killer,” luring investors with promises of “financial revolution.” She ran and promoted the project with his partner Sebastian Greenwood, who is now imprisoned in the US, and his brother Konstantin Ignatov, who sought witness protection after his arrest in LA in 2019.
Do you think law enforcement agencies around the world will eventually find Onecoin’s Cryptoqueen Ruja Ignatova? Tell us in the comments section below.
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