FBI added Ruja Ignatova, also known as "Cryptoqueen", to the list of 10 most important nominees on Thursday. Announced. Ignatova has been accused of establishing a fake cryptocurrency company based in Bulgaria and defrauding investors from nearly $ 4 billion .
According to the FBI, Ignatova is the eleventh woman to be added to the list in the organization's 72-year history. Authorities are currently offering a $ 100,000 reward for information that could lead to her capture.
"There are so many victims in the world that have been financially devastated by this," investigative special agent Ronald Simcosaid in a statement Thursday. .. "We want to bring her to justice."
According to the FBI, Ignatova and her partner were a cryptocurrency company called OneCoin in 2014. Established and claimed to be a "bitcoin killer". According to investigators, Ignatova promoted the company through a "multi-level marketing strategy" that encourages early investors to sell OneCoin packages to friends and family.
Simco said Ignatova used his excitement for cryptocurrencies to seduce consumers who did not fully understand how cryptocurrencies work.
"OneCoin claimed to have a private blockchain," Shimko added. "This is in contrast to other cryptocurrencies with decentralized public blockchains. In this case, investors were asked to trust OneCoin."
Investigation Officials believe that Ignatova may have been informed that it was under investigation by US authorities. She was charged on October 12, 2017, and she traveled from Sofia in Bulgaria to Athens in Greece on October 25, but she hasn't been seen since.
A few months later, with the replaced indictment, one count each for wire fraud, wire fraud, money laundering plot, securities fraud, and securities fraud. She was charged.
Ignatova was 42 years old and was described as having "she has brown eyes and dark brown to black hair," FBI said, and she looks like her. He said it could have changed. The FBI also said she may be traveling with armed guards.
Ignatova speaks English, German and Bulgarian. She may be traveling with a fraudulent passport and she knows connections with Bulgaria, Germany, Russia, Greece, and the Arab Emirates. Simco said Ignatova had a luxurious life before she disappeared.
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