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Ruja Ignatova, the woman once known as the “Cryptoqueen,” remains one of the world’s most elusive fugitives and is currently on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list.
The founder of the fraudulent cryptocurrency OneCoin, Ignatova is accused of orchestrating a massive Ponzi-style scheme that duped investors around the globe out of billions.
Authorities say the scam began in 2014, when Ignatova launched OneCoin Ltd., a Bulgaria-based company that marketed itself as a revolutionary cryptocurrency. But unlike Bitcoin, there was no blockchain, no transparency — just smoke, mirrors, and empty promises.
Prosecutors allege Ignatova lured victims with slick marketing and false guarantees, encouraging them to wire money to buy “packages” that, in reality, were worthless.
Ignatova disappeared in October 2017, boarding a flight from Sofia, Bulgaria, to Athens, Greece. She hasn’t been seen since.
The FBI believes she may have altered her appearance through plastic surgery, travels with armed guards, and could be using a German passport to move between countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Germany, Russia, Greece, and Eastern Europe.
In 2022, the FBI added her to its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. Initially, a $250,000 reward was offered for information leading to her arrest. But in June 2024, the reward skyrocketed to $5 million under the State Department’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program.
The FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the US Attorney’s Office in Manhattan jointly announced her addition to the list.
She was charged in 2017 in the Southern District of New York, and a superseding indictment in 2018 added a series of felony counts, including wire fraud, money laundering, and securities fraud.
While US authorities continue to operate under the belief that Ignatova is alive, conflicting theories have emerged.
A 2023 report from Bulgarian investigative outlet BIRD cited a police informant who claimed Ignatova was murdered in 2018 aboard a yacht in the Ionian Sea.
The tip alleges her body was dismembered and dumped overboard on the orders of Taki, a notorious Bulgarian drug lord, to hide his alleged involvement in the OneCoin scheme. The claims remain unverified, and the FBI has no official information confirming her death.
Ignatova’s story has been the subject of a BBC podcast and book, both titled The Missing Cryptoqueen. She’s been dubbed the “Elizabeth Holmes of crypto” — but unlike Holmes, she's never faced a courtroom.
If you have information about Ruja Ignatova’s whereabouts, you're urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
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