Ruja Ignatova
Ruja Plamenova Ignatova (Bulgarian: Ружа Пламенова Игнатова, romanized: Ruža Plamenova Ignatova; born 30 May 1980) is a Bulgarian-born German convicted fraudster. She is best known as the founder of a fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme known as OneCoin, which The Times has described as "one of the biggest scams in history". She is the subject of the 2019 BBC podcast series The Missing Cryptoqueen.
Ruja Ignatova | |
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FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive | |
Reward | $100,000 |
Description | |
Born | Ruzha Plamenova Ignatova 30 May 1980 Ruse, Bulgaria |
Nationality |
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Status | |
Penalty | 16 months' suspended imprisonment for a previous case. Up to 90 years for the Ponzi scheme |
Added | June 30, 2022 |
Number | 527 |
Currently a Top Ten Fugitive | |
Since 2017, Ignatova has been on the run from various international law enforcement agencies. In early 2019, she was charged in absentia by U.S. authorities for wire fraud, securities fraud and money laundering. She was added to the FBI Ten Most Wanted in June 2022.