In the shadowy corridors of the cryptocurrency world, few figures loom as large—or as enigmatically—as the Bulgarian Ruja Ignatova, the so-called "CryptoQueen." As the architect of OneCoin, a fraudulent digital currency scheme that swindled investors out of over $4 billion, Ignatova's tale is a labyrinthine blend of high finance, deception, and a vanishing act that would make Houdini proud.
Ruja Ignatova, infamously known as the "Missing Cryptoqueen" and wanted by the FBI for masterminding the $4.5 billion OneCoin crypto fraud scheme, has now been subjected to a global asset freeze. This unprecedented legal action, initiated on behalf of defrauded investors, aims to prevent the movement or sale of her assets in a bid to secure compensation for those impacted by the massive scam, BBC reports.
The Bulgarian national Ruja Ignatova, born in May 1980, known as the "Cryptoqueen," co-founded the infamous cryptocurrency-based multi-level marketing (MLM) scheme called OneCoin in 2014 alongside MLM artist Karl Greenwood. The scheme was orchestrated under the guise of a legitimate crypto operation from Sofia, Bulgaria, and quickly expanded its operations globally. OneCoin managed to amass over $4 billion from around 3.5 million people worldwide.