Ruja Ignatova calls herself the Queen of Crypto and she is currently in the spotlight, at least, as news of the sale of her posh London penthouse hits the headlines.
Ignatova presented his company, OneCoin, as a profitable competitor to Bitcoin in the emerging cryptocurrency sector.
In June 2016, bitcoin was a growing trend and investors were eager to capitalize on it. In October 2017, Ignatova completely disappeared from public view.
At the 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 is a fake cryptocurrency, and its founder, Ignatova, has been missing for five years and is now on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list. He is also one of the most wanted fugitives in Europe.
Image credit: YLE
Penthouse Sale Gives Crypto Queen Away
When a luxury London penthouse apartment is advertised for sale on the market, it appears that the “lost queen of crypto” is organizing the sale from the ground up.
According to sources, a penthouse apartment in London’s Kensington district, England, was sold a few days ago for $15.5 million, then dropped to $13.6 million.
Senior prosecutor Gerald Ruebsam expects that the funds from the sale of the London penthouse may be used to repay OneCoin victims.
He said:
“It is not yet clear whether the money will go to OneCoin investors, we will have to wait and see how things progress.”
Knight Frank, the Prestige luxury real estate dealer, marketed the property but quickly removed the listing when it was discovered that Ignatova was having an affair.
Investigative journalist Jamie Bartlett said:
“It shows that he is still alive, and there are documents somewhere that contain important clues about who he is today.”
‘Idiot’ and ‘Crazy’
Ignatova and her business partner Sebastian Greenwood fooled crypto fans by claiming their cryptocurrency token OneCoin would be the “Bitcoin Killer.”
In 2016, when investors applauded and whistled, he declared, “In two years, nobody will be discussing Bitcoin anymore.”
OneCoin is one of the biggest fraud schemes in the world, federal officials say.
In a statement, IRS Special Agent John R. Tafur announced:
“Cryptocurrency OneCoin was founded for the purpose of defrauding investors.”
Ignatova and Greenwood began promoting the fraudulent coin to potential investors in 2014, promising returns of between five and tenfold.
They called investors “stupid” and “insane” at one point.
$100,000 Bounty For Crypto Queen
The Queen of Crypto is currently the only woman on the FBI’s Most Wanted list.
Crypto total market cap at $1 trillion on the weekend chart | Chart: TradingView.com
A note appears below the FBI wanted poster:
“Ignatova is believed to be traveling with armed guards and/or friends. Ignatova may have undergone plastic surgery or altered her appearance.
Sebastian Greenwood, the founder of OneCoin, pleaded guilty in New York to fraud and money laundering charges in December 2022.
Meanwhile, authorities are offering a $100,000 reward for any information that will lead to the arrest of the Crypto Queen.
Featured image from The Telegraph