The United States government has recently raised the reward for information regarding the whereabouts of Ruja Ignatova, also known as Cryptoqueen, to a staggering $5 million. This significant increase in reward money, announced by the U.S. Department of State in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy in Bulgaria, aims to encourage individuals to come forward with any information that could lead to the arrest or conviction of Cryptoqueen.
The 44-year-old Bulgarian-born German citizen is wanted in the United States for her involvement in a massive fraudulent scheme linked to OneCoin. Despite the arrest and sentencing of some of her co-conspirators, Ignatova has managed to evade capture and has been on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List since 2022. She co-founded OneCoin in 2014 and used deceptive tactics to defraud investors of billions of dollars by promoting the project as a lucrative crypto investment opportunity.
Following a failed attempt by investigators to apprehend her in late 2017, Ignatova fled Bulgaria to Greece, where she has been in hiding ever since. Both U.S. and German authorities have leveled charges of fraud and money laundering against her, while Bulgarian authorities are preparing to indict her for her crimes and seize her illicitly gained assets.
Despite ongoing efforts to locate her, there have been rumors circulating about Cryptoqueen’s possible demise. Speculations suggest that she may have undergone cosmetic surgery to alter her appearance and is likely moving with armed security personnel and associates. The FBI suspects that she may be using a German passport to travel to countries like the United Arab Emirates, Russia, and Eastern Europe.
In the past, there were unfounded rumors claiming that Cryptoqueen had been murdered by a Bulgarian drug lord named Hristoforos Amanatidis, also known as Taki, who was supposedly responsible for her security. Allegations surfaced that Taki had ordered a hitman to dispose of Ignatova’s body in the Ionian Sea to distance himself from the OneCoin fraud scandal. However, investigative efforts by the BBC team behind The Missing Cryptoqueen podcast have yielded potential leads on Cryptoqueen’s whereabouts, casting doubt on the validity of reports suggesting her demise.
As the search for Cryptoqueen continues, authorities are urging individuals with any information about her location to come forward and claim the substantial $5 million reward. The increased bounty underscores the seriousness of the charges against Ignatova and the determination of law enforcement agencies to bring her to justice for her role in perpetrating one of the largest fraudulent schemes in history.
