FBI Wanted Crypto Queen ‘Resurfaces’ After 5 Years

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Ruja Ignatova has called herself the Crypto Queen, and now she’s back in the spotlight, at least in a way, when news of a posh London penthouse sale hit the headlines.

Ignatova introduced her company, OneCoin, as a profitable competitor to Bitcoin in the growing cryptocurrency industry.

In June 2016 bitcoin was an emerging trend and investors were eager to capitalize. In October 2017, Ignatova completely disappeared from public view.

At that time, the 42-year-old Bulgarian-born German crypto entrepreneur was in the early stages of what would become a $4 billion Ponzi scheme.

OneCoin was a fake cryptocurrency, and its founder, Ignatova, has been missing for five years and is currently on the FBI’s 10 most wanted list. She is also one of Europe’s most wanted fugitives.

Image Credit: YLE Penthouse Sale Gave Crypto Queen Away

When a luxurious penthouse apartment in London was advertised for sale on the market, it emerged that the “missing crypto queen” was holding an underground sale.

According to sources, a penthouse apartment in the London Borough of Kensington, England, was listed for sale a few days ago for $15.5 million and then reduced to $13.6 million.

Attorney General Gerald Ruebsam expects the funds from the sale of the London penthouse could one day be used to repay OneCoin victims.

He said:

“It is not yet clear if the money will go to OneCoin investors, we have to wait and see how things progress.”

Knight Frank, a Prestige luxury real estate dealer, marketed the property but quickly delisted when it was discovered that Ignatova had ties to her.

Investigative journalist Jamie Bartlett said:

This suggests that she is still alive, and there are documents somewhere that contain vital clues to her recent whereabouts.

“Idiots” and “crazy”

Ignatova and her business partner Sebastian Greenwood tricked crypto fans by declaring their OneCoin cryptocurrency token to be a “Bitcoin Killer”.

In 2016, when investors clapped and whistled, she said, “In two years, nobody will be talking about Bitcoin.

OneCoin is one of the world’s biggest fraud schemes ever, federal officials said.

In a statement, IRS Special Agent John R. Tafur revealed:

The OneCoin cryptocurrency was created for the sole purpose of defrauding investors.

Ignatova and Greenwood began promoting the fraudulent coin to potential investors in 2014, promising a five to ten times return.

They called their investors “idiots” and “crazy” at one point.

$100,000 bounty for Crypto Queen

The Crypto Queen is now the only woman on the FBI’s most wanted list.

Total Crypto Market Cap At $1 Trillion On Weekend Chart | Chart: TradingView.com

A note appears at the bottom of his FBI wanted poster:

Ignatova is believed to be traveling with armed guards and/or associates. Ignatova may have had plastic surgery or changed her appearance.

OneCoin co-founder Sebastian Greenwood pleaded guilty in New York to fraud and money laundering charges in December 2022.

Meanwhile, authorities are awaiting a $100,000 reward for any information that would lead to the Crypto Queen’s arrest.

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