Missing Cryptoqueen: FBI adds Ruja Ignatova to top ten most wanted

Ruja Ignatova, also known as the “missing Cryptoqueen”, has been placed on the FBI’s top ten most wanted list.

The Bulgarian woman is wanted for her alleged role in running a cryptocurrency scam known as OneCoin.

Federal investigators accuse the fugitive of using the scheme to defraud victims out of more than $4bn (£3.2bn).

She has been missing since 2017 – when US officials signed a warrant for her arrest and investigators began closing in on her.

Ms Ignatova is wanted for her role in running OneCoin, a self-described cryptocurrency that beginning in around 2014 offered buyers a commission if they sold the currency on to more people.

But FBI agents say OneCoin was worthless and was never safeguarded by the blockchain technology used by other cryptocurrencies.

Ponzi scheme 

According to allegations made by federal prosecutors, it was essentially a Ponzi scheme disguised as a cryptocurrency.

“She timed her scheme perfectly, capitalising on the frenzied speculation of the early days of cryptocurrency,” said Damian Williams, Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor.

The FBI adds fugitives to its most-wanted list when it believes the general public may be able to assist in tracking them down.

$100,000 reward

A bureau notice published on Thursday offered a $100,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of Ms Ignatova, who was charged in 2019 with eight counts including wire fraud and securities fraud.

She is the only woman on the FBI’s ten most wanted list.

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Jamie Bartlett, whose BBC podcast investigation brought global attention to Ms Ignatova’s story and the financial impact OneCoin had on her alleged victims, said the FBI’s announcement on Thursday increased the chances of her being caught.

“This is probably the biggest development in the case since Dr Ruja disappeared in October 2017,” he said.

Mr Bartlett, who has been investigating the case for years, said one of the reasons it had been so difficult to track down Ruja Ignatova is that she disappeared with at least $500m (£411m), helping her to hide from the law.

“We also believe she has high-quality fake identity documents and has changed her appearance,” he added, as well as raising the possibility that she may no longer even be alive.

Ms Ignatova was last seen boarding a flight from Bulgaria to Greece in 2017 and has been missing ever since.

BBC/Zainab Sa’id