The infamous scammer behind the $4 billion OneCoin fraud allegedly worked with a prolific drug kingpin, according to a new report.
Ruja Ignatova, a Bulgarian woman known as the “Cryptoqueen,” started OneCoin in 2014 and operated the company as a multi-level marketing (MLM) network.
Ignatova falsely claimed the project maintained a private blockchain, and the fraud reportedly lured in more than 3.5 million victims.
Ignatova has been a fugitive since 2017 and was placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list in 2022. A February 2023 report from BIRD, a Bulgarian investigative journalism outlet, indicated she may have been murdered at the order of suspected drug lord Hristoforos ‘Taki’ Amanatidis.
BIRD cited documents found at the home of a former top Bulgarian police officer, Lyubomir Ivanov, after he was murdered last year.
A new report from the BBC indicates US government lawyers said Ignatova employed Amanatidis as her head of security. A different US government lawyer reportedly said in court that the head of security was “involved in the disappearance” of Ignatova.
The BBC also reports that leaked Europol documents indicate police suspect Taki used OneCoin’s financial network to launder drug money.
The FBI says it will pay out a $250,000 reward for information leading to Ignatova’s arrest.
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