Cryptoqueen Accomplice Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison, Ordered to Forfeit $300 Million
One of the Co-Founders of $4 Billion OneCoin Cryptocurrency Pyramid Scheme Receives 20-Year Prison Sentence
Karl Sebastian Greenwood, in partnership with Ruja Ignatova, widely recognized as the "Cryptoqueen," co-founded the notorious fraudulent scheme.
In 2014, Greenwood and Ignatova established OneCoin, operating it as a multi-level marketing (MLM) network. They deceitfully claimed that the project had a private blockchain, ultimately deceiving over 3.5 million victims.
Greenwood, a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and Sweden, has been ordered to forfeit assets exceeding $300 million, as announced in a recent press release by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
Ignatova, the mastermind behind the scam, has been a fugitive since 2017 and was added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list in 2022. A February report from BIRD, a Bulgarian investigative journalism outlet, suggested the possibility that she might have been the victim of foul play orchestrated by the known drug lord Hristoforos 'Taki' Amanatidis.
BIRD based its claims on documents discovered at the residence of a former high-ranking Bulgarian police officer, Lyubomir Ivanov, following his murder last year. However, it's important to note that this information has not been authenticated, and the circumstances surrounding Ignatova's demise remain a subject of speculation.
The FBI has announced a $100,000 reward for any information leading to Ignatova's apprehension.
Sep 15, 2023
