Ruja Ignatova

Ruja Plamenova Ignatova, born on May 30, 1980, is a notorious Bulgarian-German entrepreneur and con artist, widely recognized for her role in one of the largest scams in history. Known as the 'Cryptoqueen', she founded the fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme OneCoin, which has drawn the attention of international law enforcement agencies.

Ignatova's rise to infamy culminated in her disappearance on October 25, 2017, after boarding a Ryanair flight from Sofia to Athens. Since then, she has been presumed to be evading capture, with the FBI placing her on their Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in June 2022. The agency has offered a reward of up to five million dollars for information leading to her arrest.

In March 2019, an indictment was unsealed in the United States, charging Ignatova with wire fraud, securities fraud, and money laundering. Additionally, an Interpol warrant was issued by German authorities, further complicating her situation.

Recent reports in 2023 and 2024 have suggested a darker turn in Ignatova's story, with claims that she may have been murdered in 2018 on the orders of a Bulgarian organized crime figure. This speculation adds a layer of intrigue to the already complex narrative surrounding the 'Cryptoqueen'.