Bulgarian Ruja Ignatova, also known as the “missing cellar lady”, is on the FBI’s ten most wanted criminals, US federal police list.
The criminal, believed to be in his 40s, is wanted for alleged involvement in a cryptocurrency scam known as OneCoin.
Authorities accuse the fugitive of using it to defraud victims of more than US$4 billion.
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Ignatova has been missing since 2017, when US authorities issued an arrest warrant for her.
In 2014, the creators of the OneCoin cryptocurrency began offering commissions to buyers who managed to sell the coin to more people.
But FBI agents say that OneCoin has no value and has never used the blockchain technology common to other cryptocurrencies.
Federal prosecutors claim that OneCoin is a pyramid scheme disguised as a cryptocurrency.
“Taking advantage of the wild speculation of the early days of cryptocurrency, he made his plan just in time,” said Damian Williams, Manhattan’s chief federal prosecutor.
When the FBI believes it can help the public find them, it puts the fugitives on their most wanted list.
An FBI announcement released Thursday, 30/6 offers a reward of US$100,000 (more than half a million reals) for any information leading to Ignatova’s arrest. In 2019, he was charged with eight crimes, including electronic fraud and securities fraud.
She is the only woman on the FBI’s most wanted list.
Image: Reproduction/FBI
BBC reporter Jamie Bartlett, who is doing a podcast on the story of Ignatova and OneCoin, said Thursday’s FBI announcement increased her chances of getting caught.
“This is probably the biggest news in the case since Ruja disappeared in October 2017,” he says.
Bartlett, who has been investigating the case for years, says one reason Ruja Ignatova has been so difficult to trace is that she managed to escape with at least $500 million.
“We also believe he had high-quality fake identification documents and changed his appearance,” he adds.
Bartlett does not rule out the possibility that he is no longer alive.
Ignatova was last seen boarding a flight from Bulgaria to Greece in 2017. It’s been missing ever since.
Scottish-born Jen McAdam, a OneCoin victim, told the BBC in 2019 that she, her friends and family lost more than 250,000 euros. She says it all started with a message from a friend about an investment opportunity she couldn’t miss.
Jen McAdam clicked a link and watched OneCoin’s online lecture. For an hour, he listened intently as people enthusiastically spoke about this attractive new cryptocurrency and how it could make a fortune.
McAdam said it took him months to realize it was all a scam.
– This text was originally published at https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/geral-62007305.
source: Noticias
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