BTC
$105,000.21
+
0.57%
ETH
$2,499.14
-
0.76%
USDT
$1.0003
-
0.01%
XRP
$2.1754
+
0.48%
BNB
$657.92
+
0.44%
SOL
$155.72
+
0.37%
USDC
$0.9997
-
0.00%
DOGE
$0.1914
+
0.66%
TRX
$0.2710
+
0.64%
ADA
$0.6805
+
0.67%
SUI
$3.2868
+
0.92%
HYPE
$33.02
+
1.06%
LINK
$13.88
+
0.08%
AVAX
$20.65
-
0.30%
XLM
$0.2664
-
0.05%
BCH
$403.80
-
0.06%
LEO
$8.4915
-
1.99%
TON
$3.1425
-
0.59%
SHIB
$0.0₄1282
-
0.15%
HBAR
$0.1694
+
0.62%
Logo
  • News
  • Prices
  • Data
  • Indices
  • Research
  • Events
  • Sponsored
  • Sign In
  • Sign Up
Policy
Share this article
X iconX (Twitter)LinkedInFacebookEmail

U.S. State Department Offers New $5M Reward for Missing ‘Cryptoqueen’

OneCoin founder Ruja Ignatova went missing in Athens in 2017.

By Cheyenne Ligon|Edited by Nikhilesh De
Updated Jun 26, 2024, 3:34 p.m. Published Jun 26, 2024, 3:31 p.m.
Ruja Ignatova FBI Wanted Poster (Wikimedia)
Ruja Ignatova FBI Wanted Poster (Wikimedia)
  • The U.S. government published an up-to-$5 million reward for information on OneCoin's Ruja Ignatova.
  • Ignatova disappeared in Athens in 2017 after her Ponzi scheme fell apart.

The U.S. State Department is offering a $5 million bounty for information leading to the arrest or conviction of OneCoin founder Ruja Ignatova, the self-styled “Cryptoqueen,” who vanished in Athens in 2017.

The new reward, announced Wednesday, is offered under the State Department’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program, and boosts the previous reward of $250,000 offered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Ignatova was added to the FBI’s Most Wanted list in 2022.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the State of Crypto Newsletter today. See all newsletters
By signing up, you will receive emails about CoinDesk products and you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.

Authorities in Ignatova’s native Bulgaria also announced Wednesday that Ignatova would be indicted in absentia for her role in the crypto ponzi scheme, which stole an estimated $4 billion from investors around the world between 2014 and its collapse in early 2017.

OneCoin operated through a network of promoters, who solicited investments in return for purported tokens, but notably did not actually involve any cryptocurrencies – OneCoin did not exist on any blockchain, and Ignatova and her team manipulated its perceived value through the automatic generation of new coins.

The State Department has called OneCoin “one of the largest global fraud schemes in history.”

In addition to the charges in Bulgaria, Ignatova – a German national – faces criminal charges in the U.S., Germany and India.

Several of Ignatova’s former OneCoin associates have been sentenced to prison for their role in the scheme. Last year, OneCoin co-founder Karl Greenwood was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his crimes, plus $300 million in forfeiture. Two of the scam project’s lawyers – Bulgarian national Irina Dilkinska and American Mark Scott – were sentenced to prison earlier this year, Dilkinska getting four years behind bars and Scott sentenced to 10.

Disappearing act

Ignatova went missing shortly after being indicted in the U.S. in the fall of 2017 and was last seen on a flight from Sofia, Bulgaria to Athens.

The FBI has suggested that Ignatova may have altered her appearance with plastic surgery or may be traveling on a German passport in the Middle East or Eastern Europe.

There are also rumors that Ignatova may have been killed. In 2023, a report from a Bulgarian media outlet suggested that, in 2018, Ignatova was murdered and dismembered on a yacht in the Ionian Sea at the command of a Bulgarian drug lord known as “Taki," though this report has never been verified.

RegulationsRuja IgnatovaOneCoin
Cheyenne Ligon

On the news team at CoinDesk, Cheyenne focuses on crypto regulation and crime. Cheyenne is originally from Houston, Texas. She studied political science at Tulane University in Louisiana. In December 2021, she graduated from CUNY's Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, where she focused on business and economics reporting. She has no significant crypto holdings.

X icon
CoinDesk News Image
Latest Crypto News
Article image

Bitcoin Whales Seem to Be Calling a Top as BTC Price Consolidates

May 29, 2025

Bitcoin (BTC) price on May 19 (CoinDesk)

Bitcoin Climbs to $105K; Crypto ETF Issuer Sees 35% Upside

May 29, 2025

Breaking News

Breaking New test

May 29, 2025

FastNews (CoinDesk)

Fast News test

May 29, 2025

Article image

Ethereum Surges 4% on Massive Volume as Institutional Interest Grows.

May 27, 2025

Article image

test research article

May 22, 2025

Top Stories
President Donald Trump (TheDigitalArtist/Pixabay)

Bitcoin Poised to Top Record as Trump Inauguration Nears, Major Coins Due for 10% Swings: Traders

Jan 16, 2025

Screen Shot 2018-08-12 at 11.22.53 PM

In Rare Decision, ICO Founders Will Delay Crypto Paydays – For a Decade

Aug 13, 2018

(CJ/Unsplash)

XRP Futures Start Trading on CME

May 19, 2025

Credit: NASA

50 Cut as $60 Million Blockchain Project Nebulas Lays Off 60% of Staff

Jan 22, 2019

Bitcoin (BTC) price on May 19 (CoinDesk)

Bitcoin Climbs to $105K; Crypto ETF Issuer Sees 35% Upside

May 29, 2025

Breaking News

Breaking New test

May 29, 2025

This is your last article this month.

Sign up for free

About

  • About Us
  • Masthead
  • Careers
  • CoinDesk News
  • Crypto API Documentation

Contact

  • Contact Us
  • Accessibility
  • Advertise
  • Sitemap
  • System Status
DISCLOSURE & POLICES
CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk has adopted a set of principles aimed at ensuring the integrity, editorial independence and freedom from bias of its publications. CoinDesk is part of the Bullish group, which owns and invests in digital asset businesses and digital assets. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive Bullish group equity-based compensation. Bullish was incubated by technology investor Block.one.
EthicsPrivacyTerms of UseCookie SettingsDo Not Sell My Info

© 2025 CoinDesk, Inc.
X icon
Sign Up
  • News
    Back to menu
    News
    • Markets
    • Finance
    • Tech
    • Policy
    • Focus
  • Prices
    Back to menu
    Prices
    • Data
      Back to menu
      Data
      • Trade Data
      • Derivatives
      • Order Book Data
      • On-Chain Data
      • API
      • Research & Insights
      • Data Catalogue
      • AI & Machine Learning
    • Indices
      Back to menu
      Indices
      • Multi-Asset Indices
      • Reference Rates
      • Strategies and Services
      • API
      • Insights & Announcements
      • Documentation & Governance
    • Research
      Back to menu
      Research
      • Events
        Back to menu
        Events
        • Consensus Hong Kong
        • Consensus 2026
        • CoinDesk: Policy & Regulation
      • Sponsored
        Back to menu
        Sponsored
        • Thought Leadership
        • Press Releases
        • CoinW
        • MEXC
        • Phemex
        • Advertise
      • Videos
        Back to menu
        Videos
        • CoinDesk Daily
        • Shorts
        • Editor's Picks
      • Podcasts
        Back to menu
        Podcasts
        • CoinDesk Podcast Network
        • Markets Daily
        • Gen C
        • Unchained with Laura Shin
        • The Mining Pod
      • Newsletters
        Back to menu
        Newsletters
        • The Node
        • Crypto Daybook Americas
        • State of Crypto
        • Crypto Long & Short
        • Crypto for Advisors
      • Webinars & Events
        Back to menu
        Webinars & Events
        • Consensus 2025
        • Policy & Regulation Conference
      Select Language
      English enEspañol esFilipino filFrançais frItaliano itPortuguês pt-brРусский ruУкраїнська uk