The United States Department of State has raised its reward for information leading to the capture and conviction of Ruja Ignatova, the founder of OneCoin.
Updating the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) “ten most wanted fugitives” list, the State Department’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program announced a $5 million bounty for actionable intelligence on Ignatova’s location that results in her apprehension and legal sentencing. Ignatova was last confirmed to be in Athens in October 2017.
Ignatova was added to the FBI’s top ten list in June 2022 with a $100,000 reward, which was increased to $250,000 in 2023. Despite these efforts, she remained at large as of the latest report. According to the FBI, Ignatova holds a German passport and may have undergone plastic surgery or other alterations to her appearance.
In 2017, U.S. authorities charged Ignatova with fraud and money laundering, issuing a federal warrant for her arrest. On June 26, in a joint statement with U.S. Ambassador to Bulgaria Kenneth Merten, Bulgaria’s Acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov announced plans to charge Ignatova in absentia in Bulgaria.
Founded in 2014, OneCoin was exposed as a fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme in 2015, deceiving investors of approximately $4 billion. Several individuals involved in the scheme have faced criminal prosecution in the U.S., including Ignatova’s boyfriend Gilbert Armenta, lawyer Mark Scott, former head of legal and compliance Irina Dilkinska, co-founder Karl Sebastian Greenwood, and William Morro.
Ignatova’s brother, Konstantin Ignatov, admitted guilt to fraud and money laundering charges in 2019 in connection with OneCoin. He served 34 months in prison before his release in March 2024.