Tag: Ruja Ignatova

Russian mega-influencer Sergei Kosenko and gaming entrepreneur Artem Nikolayev are relaunching their embattled AMAZY project from the comfort of Dubai, leaning on a cartel of 350-plus influencers and viral “cash-giveaway” reels packed with what whistle-blowers say are counterfeit bills. Regulators fear that a second pump-and-dump is already under way—this time with fresh victims beyond the CIS.

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.

Recently, the arrest of an Indian victim of the global crypto Ponzi scheme BitConnect has attracted attention. The victim, Shailesh Babulal Bhatt, had lost money in BitConnect and subsequently Bhatt kidnapped two employees of BitConnect founder Satish Kumbhani and successfully extorted $148 million worth of Bitcoins. Especially in the aftermath of the second Bitcoin Halving in 2016, crypto Ponzi schemes defrauded millions of naïve investors out of billions. Here is our report.

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.

In a startling revelation of legal malpractice in the crypto industry, the OneCoin fraud case has brought to light the critical involvement of lawyers in facilitating large-scale financial scams. Recently, a German court sentenced Martin Breidenbach, an attorney implicated in the OneCoin scheme, as a money launderer. In the U.S., Mark S. Scott, a former lawyer at the reputable firm Locke Lord LLP, was also convicted of laundering $400 million from OneCoin proceeds.

The Münster Regional Court in Germany has handed down sentences in the notorious OneCoin crypto MLM fraud case, sentencing Frank Ricketts to five years and his wife, Manon Hubenthal, to four years in prison. The couple was convicted of amassing approximately €320 million from around 90,000 OneCoin victims across Europe. Their lawyer was convicted of money laundering.

A remarkable analysis published by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) on the UK law firm Carter-Ruck, renowned as Britain's fiercest libel firm, sheds light on the profound impact of libel laws and practices on democratic values. In recent years, FinTelegram has had several experiences with law firms that represent scammers or shoddy schemes without moral or legal scruples and try to help them by preventing criticism through SLAPP actions.

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, recently announced a significant development in the notorious OneCoin case. Irina Dilkinska, 42, formerly known as the 'Head of Legal and Compliance' for OneCoin, has pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and money laundering in connection with her role in the colossal OneCoin fraud scheme. The sentencing is scheduled for February 2024.

Karl Sebastian Greenwood and "Cryptoqueen" Ruja Ignatov were the co-founders of the MLM scheme OneCoin. He has been sentenced to a 20-year incarceration for his pivotal role in the extensive OneCoin fraudulent operations. OneCoin, initiated in 2014 with its headquarters in Sofia, Bulgaria, propagated and retailed a counterfeit cryptocurrency under the same moniker via an expansive global multi-level marketing (MLM) framework.

Unsolved gangland slaying in South Africa connects Bulgarian Mafioso, OneCoin, and the former Chief Prosecutor. The slaying occurred in Cape Town on May 25, claiming the lives of Bulgarian mafioso Krasimir Kasenov, his wife, and two other victims. This unresolved murder case has drawn connections to Bulgaria's recently ousted Chief Prosecutor Ivan Geshev and the vanished OneCoin founder and Crypto Queen Ruja Ignatova.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the unsealing of charges against the Bulgarian national Irina Dilkinska for participating in the massive OneCoin fraud scheme.  OneCoin began operations in 2014 and was based in Sofia, Bulgaria. It marketed and sold the fraudulent cryptocurrency by the same name through an MLM network.  Victims invested over $4 billion worldwide in the fraudulent cryptocurrency. Dilkinska was extradited from Bulgaria.