WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The United States is offering up to $5 million as a reward for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of German fugitive Ruja Ignatova, who is wanted by FBI for her participation in one of the largest global fraud schemes.
Nicknamed as 'cryptoqueen', the Bulgarian-born German entrepreneur defrauded investors from across the world out of billions of dollars as co-founder of OneCoin Ltd for a decade.
Ignatova promoted OneCoin as a digital currency investment through false statements and representations to attract investors. By 2017, OneCoin is believed to have defrauded victims of more than $4 billion.
On October 12, 2017, Ignatova was indicted in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Two weeks after the indictment, Ignatova traveled from Bulgarian capital Sofia to Greek capital Athens to evade arrest and has been a fugitive since then.
In February 2018, a superseding indictment was issued charging Ignatova with the additional crimes of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and securities fraud.
In 2022, FBI added her to its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List, offering a reward of up to $250,000 for information leading to her arrest.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Department Of State announced that the reward was being increased to up to $5 million under the department's Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program.
Those who have information about Ignatova have been advised to contact the FBI via Telegram: @RujaReward, Signal: @RujaReward.01, or online at tips.fbi.gov. Those who are located outside the United States have been advised to visit the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.
Germany has also criminally charged Ignatova for her role in the transnational fraud scheme.
The 44 year-old lady is the subject of a BBC podcast series, 'The Missing Cryptoqueen', and the 2022 book of the same name.
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