Hunt for ‘Cryptoqueen’ behind £3,600,000,000 OneCoin scam moves to South Africa

3 hours ago 1

Sam Corbishley

Sam Corbishley

Published November 23, 2024 10:58am Updated November 23, 2024 10:58am

The hunt for a ‘Cryptoqueen’ wanted implicit her relation successful 1 of the world’s biggest ever frauds has shifted to South Africa.

Ruja Ignatova has been connected the FBI’s apical 10 astir wanted database since 2022 for what it called ‘one of the largest planetary fraud schemes successful history’. 

She founded OneCoin successful 2014 and tricked radical into investing successful the cryptocurrency trading company.

But it turned retired to beryllium a scam, with much than 3 cardinal victims cheated retired of astatine slightest £3.6 cardinal ($4.5 billion) successful the Ponzi scheme.

Last September, Karl Sebastian Greenwood, who co-founded OneCoin with Ignatova, was sentenced to 20 years successful US situation for his relation successful the con.

Bulgarian-born Ignatova’s whereabouts person been chartless since October 2017, erstwhile she travelled from Sofia to Athens aft being charged and a national warrant issued for her arrest.

The FBI precocious upped its bounty for her apprehension to a £4 cardinal ($5 million), saying she is apt to person undergone integrative country to change her appearance.

Soon aft she vanished, rumours swirled that Ignatova had been killed by erstwhile accomplices successful the Bulgarian underworld who dismembered her assemblage and dumped it successful the Ionian Sea.

But investigators successful Germany present accidental they judge she is hiding retired successful 1 of South Africa’s astir exclusive neighbourhoods.

‘We are moving with the proposal that Ruja Ignatova is inactive alive,’ Sabine Dässel, from the North Rhine-Westphalia authorities bureau of transgression probe (LKA), told a caller documentary astir the con.

Investigators stay uncertain of her nonstop whereabouts, she told ‘Die Kryptoqueen’ connected German broadcaster WDR, but said clues pointed heavy to Cape Town.

Ignatova’s member Konstantin took implicit her concern and was spotted successful Cape Town successful the months pursuing her disappearance.

He has since co-operated with the FBI investigation, telling peculiar agents his sister carries £500,000,000 successful stolen capitalist funds which she whitethorn person utilized to wage for integrative surgery, bribing officials and creating a caller identity.

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