Ruja Ignatova, dubbed the “Cryptoqueen,” is a fugitive known for orchestrating a $4 billion Ponzi scheme through her company, OneCoin Ltd. This Bulgaria-based company marketed a fraudulent cryptocurrency, duping 3.5 million investors. Ignatova, educated at Oxford University, has been on the run since 2017, with the FBI now offering a $5 million bounty for her capture.
Ignatova’s lavish lifestyle included properties in London and a $7 million superyacht. Despite her glamorous image, she grew up in poverty in Bulgaria, where her obsession with wealth began. She has been known to travel on a German passport, potentially to countries like the United Arab Emirates, Germany, Russia, and Greece, and may have altered her appearance to evade authorities.
Her accomplice, Karl Greenwood, a Swedish national, was apprehended and sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in the scam, which he used to fund a similarly extravagant lifestyle. Greenwood’s capture in Thailand and subsequent conviction in the US has left Ignatova as the last major figure at large from the OneCoin fraud.
The FBI added Ignatova to its Most Wanted list in 2022, initially offering a $250,000 reward. However, her elusive nature and ability to avoid capture for over seven years have made her one of the most sought-after fugitives globally, with the reward now increased to $5 million.
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