Ruja Ignatova’s arrest bounty has been bumped to $250,000.
When Ignatova was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Needed Fugitives checklist in July 2022, the unique bounty was $100,000.
Given OneCoin was a $4 billion Ponzi scheme, this appeared slightly on the sunshine facet. $250,000 isn’t comparatively important however is nonetheless greater than the unique bounty supplied.
Ignatova’s arrest bounty rising is sadly not particular to the continuing OneCoin investigation.
The FBI introduced final month that “it’s now providing as much as $250,000 for data resulting in the arrest of a Ten Most Needed Fugitive.”
Ignatova’s FBI Prime Ten Most Needed Fugitive entry cites her aliases as “Dr. Ruja Ignatova, Ruja Plamenova Ignatova, Ruja P. Ignatova and CryptoQueen”.
Ignatova was born on Might thirtieth, 1980 in Bulgaria. She has darkish brown to black hair, brown eyes and speaks English, German and Bulgarian.
Ignatova served as OneCoin’s high chief via October 2017. On October 25, 2017, Ignatova traveled from Sofia, Bulgaria, to Athens, Greece, and will have traveled elsewhere after that.
She could journey on a German passport to the United Arab Emirates, Bulgaria, Germany, Russia, Greece and/or Japanese Europe.
There have been reviews Ignatova, if she’s nonetheless alive, has undergone important beauty procedures to change her look. These reviews stay unconfirmed.
Earlier this yr two BIRD journalists reported Ignatova was murdered on a yacht in 2018. The idea was based mostly on a police report sourced from the secure of a murdered Bulgarian detective.
Each the hit and detective’s homicide have ties to Bulgarian crimelord Christophoros Amanatidis-Taki.
Final month Karimir Nikolaev Kemnov, his spouse and two different victims had been gunned down in South Africa. Kemnov, a former affiliate of Taki’s, is believed to have been helping US authorities with their OneCoin investigation.
Because the physique depend rises round him, it seems Taki is tying up free ends. I can’t say for certain but it surely’s seemingly he is aware of if Ruja Ignatova remains to be alive, or what occurred to her.
Taki is believed to be hiding out in Dubai. Bulgarian authorities are usually not investigating the infamous crimelord, largely because of Prosecutor-Basic Ivan Geshev shielding OneCoin and linked criminals and politicians.
Geshev was fired final month by Bulgarian President Rumen Radev. Whether or not his successor opens a OneCoin investigation and pursues Taki stays to be seen.
Another person who seemingly is aware of the place Ruja is or what occurred to her is Frank Schneider (proper).
Schneider, a former Luxembourg spy grasp, was indicted on OneCoin associated legal expenses someday after 2019.
Schneider’s function inside OneCoin was to supervise cash laundering and report on to Ruja Ignatova.
Schneider is believed to have tipped off Ignatova to the FBI’s investigation into her, resulting in her 2017 disappearance.
Schneider purportedly learnt of the FBI’s investigation via intelligence leaked from Bulgarian authorities.
Schneider’s indictment led to his arrest in France in Might 2021. Schneider had travelled from Luxembourg for a vacation.
Luxembourg doesn’t extradite its nationals and, as a result of Schneider’s political connections, is believed to have been turning a blind-eye to his fraud.
Though it will definitely accepted Schneider’s extradition to the US, France did not correctly safe Schneider. Upon studying of his pending extradition, Schneider fled France in April 2023.
Schneider stays a wished fugitive. He’s believed to be hiding out in both Luxembourg or Dubai.