US Government sets reward of USD $5 million for Ruja Ignatova, founder of OneCoin – DiarioBitcoin
He US Department of State raised to USD $5 million the reward for information leading to the capture of Ignatova, founder of OneCoin, whose search has been ongoing for seven years.
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- US Department of State raises reward for Ruja Ignatova, founder of OneCoin
- It went from USD $250,000 to USD $5 million
- Ignatova is among the 10 most wanted people by the FBI and Europol
- Ignatova’s whereabouts remain a mystery, although there are several theories on the subject.
- Meanwhile, US authorities are advancing investigations against OneCoin
The US government, through Department of State, set a reward of USD $5 million for anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest or conviction of Ruja Ignatova, the founder of OneCoin also known as Cryptoqueen, whom the authorities lost track of since 2017.
Increases the reward for the founder of OneCoin In U.S.A.
The information was shared in a new post by Department of State Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program. The reward for Ignatova’s capture exceeded the USD $250,000 offered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to around USD $5 million, as she is among the most wanted criminals since 2022.
According to information reported by various media, the efforts of the US government to find Ignatova go hand in hand with the actions already promoted by legal organizations in several countries. The main figure behind OneCoin There are ongoing investigations at an international level, with particular emphasis on the investigation in Bulgaria, the country where the accused is from.
Let us keep in mind that just as the FBI and US State DepartmentIgnatova is also being requested by Europol, appearing since 2022 on the list of the most wanted criminals in the region.
Thesis on Ignatova’s whereabouts
Missing since 2017 after determining that her last destination was the city of Athens in Greece, Ignatova’s whereabouts are a mystery that international authorities have been trying to solve for more than seven years.
As detailed CoinDesk, Ignatova disappeared shortly after being charged in the United States in the fall of 2017 and was last seen on a flight from Sofia, Bulgaria, to Athens.
U.S. authorities believe Ignatova may have altered her appearance with plastic surgery or could be traveling on a German passport through the Middle East or Eastern Europe.
On the other hand, there is also the thesis that Ignatova would have been murdered on the orders of Christophoros Amanatidis-Taki, a high-profile drug trafficker of the Bulgarian mafia. The incident would have taken place in 2018, due to the alleged links between OneCoin and the drug world.
Other members of OneCoin Behind bars
While the search for Ignatova remains active, investigations against OneCoin have been active in recent years, which is why US authorities have captured important members of the organization.
In April of this year, William Morro, a senior official of the organization who made capital transfers between China, Hong Kong and the US for the operational benefit of OneCoin, He surrendered to American authorities and accepted the charges against him.
On the other hand, the American authorities released Konstantin Ignatov, brother of the iconic “Cryptoqueen” and one of the main figures behind the international scam. He was released on March 5, after having spent about 36 months in prison and having collaborated with the authorities to clarify the facts, although he must spend a couple of years on probation and pay a fine of USD $118,000.
Another of the accused was the co-founder of OneCoin, Karl Sebastian Greenwood, sentenced to 20 years in prison after accusations of illegal capital raising and large-scale fraud. He must also pay USD $300 million that he capitalized while he was in the organization, which he would have invested in luxury properties and other expenses.
Through OneCoin Around USD $4 billion were embezzled from investors attracted by false commercial promises. Researchers who closely follow the events associated with the pyramid scheme point out that, by the time the model collapsed, this was one of the most lucrative channels for financing a large number of illicit activities, given the difficulty in following the flow of funds.
Article by Angel Di Matteo / DailyBitcoin
Picture of Unsplash
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