- The fate of OneCoin founder and alleged fraudster cryptocurrency queen Ruja Ignatova remains a mystery.
- Ignatova defrauded investors of $4.5 billion and disappeared without any verifiable traces of her life or death.
In this seemingly crime thriller, the mystery of the missing mastermind behind the OneCoin Ponzi scheme, better known as cryptocurrency queen Ruja Ignatova, leaves more questions than answers.
In 2014, Ignatova successfully defrauded 3.5 million investors out of $4.5 billion after making unthinkable promises. Bitcoin– Similar to the profits from her cryptocurrency, OneCoin.
After the robbery, the Oxford-educated Bulgarian woman disappeared without a trace. And so, ten years later, the mystery of her story has only grown. her bold deception Acquisition She was named one of the FBI’s top ten most wanted fugitives.
Is cryptocurrency queen Ruja Ignatova alive or dead?
In recent years exclusive According to the BBC, media outlets have attempted to uncover the mystery behind Ignatova’s story and whether she is alive or dead.
Apparently, Ignatova is said to have links to Bulgarian organized crime led by Hristoforos Nikos Amanatidis, alias Taki. Interestingly, Taki acted as her handler and her physical security, protecting her from domestic and international scrutiny.
The investigation also pointed to possible laundering of Taki’s ‘drug trafficking’ activities through OneCoin operations.
When American and German authorities blocked access to Ignatova, she was forced to flee from the Bulgarian capital Sofia to Athens, Greece in 2017.
However, according to the investigative journalist, Ignatova’s guardian could have turned into her attacker. Dimitar Stoyanov from the ‘bird.bg’ outlet.
After Ignatova was murdered in late 2018, her body was reportedly dismembered and dumped in the Ionian Sea off the west coast of Greece. According to a BBC report, the murder is believed to have been on Taki’s orders.
The mystery continues
However, the BBC report claimed ‘the claims could not be independently verified’ and saw this as a way to exclude them from the investigation.
Another reason to cast doubt on Ignatova’s death was the fact that she was still in the top 10 of the FBI’s most wanted list.
According to the report, Ignatova was included in the 2022 list and remains on that list as of press time. According to experts cited in the report, the FBI only removes a person from the list after a death has been confirmed.
So her continued presence on the FBI list added a twist to her story. Her questions arose as to whether she was alive or not.
But the only thing that is certain is that her OneCoin victims have not yet received relief.
Even though Taki employees recovered Ingatova’s properties in Dubai, they were not made whole. It is known that the property was acquired with the proceeds of OneCoin fraud.