Photo: OneCoin Coporation · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Born in Bulgaria · Nationality German — business / finance / technology

Ruja Ignatova

Documented profile covering 10 controversies, including “2012–2016: Gusswerk Waltenhofen bankruptcy — German fourteen-month suspended sentence for insolvency, fraud and accounting breaches” and “2014: documented involvement in BigCoin/Prosper and promotion of CryptoReal Investment Trust before OneCoin launch”.

Are you concerned? Right of reply

Profile No. 2010 · Updated on 12 October 2026

10Documented controversies

9Sources

2Formal charges · all time2 pending

1Conviction

§ Legal statuses reflect the documented sources as of the date shown; they replace neither court decisions nor the presumption of innocence. Counts are not a rating. Methodology

I. Documented controversies

Case · 6 documented stages

2026: US OneCoin victim compensation programme using over $40 million in forfeited assets; Ignatova still at large

Formally charged

April–September 2026

2026: US OneCoin victim compensation programme using over $40 million in forfeited assets; Ignatova still at large

Formally charged

In 2026, the DOJ launched a OneCoin victim compensation process using more than $40 million in assets forfeited by various participants. Authorities continue to describe OneCoin as an international fraud exceeding $4 billion and state that Ignatova remains at large.

State of the evidence: Documented
Legal status — source text: underlying_US_charges_still_outstanding
Attribution: Directly implicated

Sources · 2

[1]
U.S. Department of JusticeJustice Department Announces Compensation Process for OneCoin Fraud Victims With Funds Recovered Through Asset ForfeitureOfficial documentVery high reliability
[2]
Federal Bureau of InvestigationCompensation for Victims of OneCoin’s Cryptocurrency Investment FraudOfficial documentVery high reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

Add to this entry

27 June 2024–en cours

June 2024: US reward increased to up to $5 million for her arrest and/or conviction

Formally charged

The US State Department, together with the FBI, increased the reward to up to $5 million for information leading to Ignatova's arrest and/or conviction, as she remained wanted in the OneCoin case.

State of the evidence: Documented
Legal status — source text: US_State_Department_reward_and_FBI_wanted_status
Attribution: Directly implicated

Sources · 1

[1]
Federal Bureau of InvestigationUp to $5 Million Reward Offer for Information Leading to Arrest and/or Conviction of Ten Most Wanted Fugitive ‘Cryptoqueen’ Ruja IgnatovaOfficial documentVery high reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

Add to this entry

30 June 2022–en cours

June 2022: added to FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list

Formally charged

The FBI added Ignatova as its 527th entry on the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in connection with her alleged leadership of the OneCoin fraud. She remains on the list.

State of the evidence: Documented
Legal status — source text: FBI_Ten_Most_Wanted_status
Attribution: Directly implicated

Sources · 1

[1]
Federal Bureau of InvestigationRuja Ignatova Added to FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives ListOfficial documentVery high reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

Add to this entry

6 February 2018

February 2018: superseding federal indictment — wire fraud, money laundering and securities fraud

Formally charged

A superseding indictment charged Ignatova with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit securities fraud and securities fraud.

Legal status — source text: US_federal_indictment_outstanding
Attribution: Directly implicated

Sources · 2

[1]
Federal Bureau of InvestigationRuja Ignatova Added to FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives ListOfficial documentVery high reliability
[2]
U.S. Department of Justice, SDNYManhattan U.S. Attorney Announces Charges Against Leaders Of “OneCoin,” A Multibillion-Dollar Pyramid SchemeCourt recordVery high reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

Add to this entry

2014–October 2017

2014–2017: creation and leadership of OneCoin — fake cryptocurrency distributed through MLM network and more than $4 billion invested by victims

Formally charged

Ignatova co-founded and led OneCoin, presented as a cryptocurrency but described by the DOJ as a fraudulent multi-level marketing scheme. Official records indicate that victims worldwide invested more than $4 billion; internal records cited by the DOJ already showed €3.353 billion in sales between late 2014 and the third quarter of 2016.

State of the evidence: scheme_established_through_multiple_convictions_and_official_records; Ignatova_personally_charged_not_tried
Legal status — source text: US_federal_fugitive_indictment_pending
Attribution: Directly implicated

Sources · 2

[1]
U.S. Department of Justice, SDNYManhattan U.S. Attorney Announces Charges Against Leaders Of “OneCoin,” A Multibillion-Dollar Pyramid SchemeCourt recordVery high reliability
[2]
U.S. Department of JusticeJustice Department Announces Compensation Process for OneCoin Fraud Victims With Funds Recovered Through Asset ForfeitureOfficial documentVery high reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

Add to this entry

12–25 October 2017

October 2017: sealed US indictment, arrest warrant and disappearance after Sofia–Athens flight

Formally charged

A federal grand jury indicted Ignatova on 12 October 2017 and an arrest warrant was issued. Investigators believe she may have been warned about the investigation; she travelled from Sofia to Athens on 25 October 2017 and has not been seen publicly since.

Legal status — source text: US_arrest_warrant_outstanding
Attribution: Directly implicated

Sources · 2

[1]
Federal Bureau of InvestigationRuja Ignatova Added to FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives ListOfficial documentVery high reliability
[2]
U.S. Department of Justice, SDNYManhattan U.S. Attorney Announces Charges Against Leaders Of “OneCoin,” A Multibillion-Dollar Pyramid SchemeCourt recordVery high reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

Add to this entry

18 September 2025–en cours

September 2025: new German indictment concerning approximately 17,500 victims and nearly €57 million

Formally charged

Bielefeld prosecutors filed an indictment of almost 600 pages, partly to avoid the expiry of the limitation period, concerning approximately 17,500 victims and nearly €57 million in alleged fraud between December 2015 and August 2016.

State of the evidence: German_prosecutor_indictment_reported
Legal status — source text: German_criminal_case_pending_in_absent_fugitive
Attribution: Directly implicated

Sources · 1

[1]
WDRKryptoqueen Ruja Ignatova angeklagt - doch von ihr fehlt jede SpurBroadcastHigh reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

Add to this entry

10 August 2017

August 2017: Italian authority finds OneCoin promotion misleading and pyramid-based; €2.595 million in penalties against entities and promoters

Civil / administrative proceedings

Italy's AGCM concluded that OneCoin's promotion relied on misleading information and a sales system with pyramid characteristics, in which remuneration actually depended on recruitment. It imposed fines totalling €2.595 million on the identified entities and operators.

State of the evidence: Documented
Legal status — source text: Italian_Competition_Authority_final_administrative_action

Sources · 2

[1]
Italian Competition Authority (AGCM)Pyramid scheme and misleading promotion, a total of €2,595,000 sanctions imposed on OneCoin cryptocurrencyRegulatory authorityVery high reliability
[2]
U.S. Department of Justice, SDNYManhattan U.S. Attorney Announces Charges Against Leaders Of “OneCoin,” A Multibillion-Dollar Pyramid SchemeCourt recordVery high reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

Add to this entry

2012–April 2016

2012–2016: Gusswerk Waltenhofen bankruptcy — German fourteen-month suspended sentence for insolvency, fraud and accounting breaches

Conviction

Before OneCoin, Ignatova ran Gusswerk Waltenhofen with her father. Following its bankruptcy, an Augsburg court sentenced her in April 2016 to fourteen months' imprisonment, suspended, for delayed insolvency filing, fraud and breaches of accounting obligations, with supplier losses reportedly amounting to hundreds of thousands of euros.

State of the evidence: Established by a court
Legal status — source text: German_local_court_suspended_sentence
Attribution: Directly implicated

Sources · 1

[1]
Augsburger AllgemeineKryptowährung: So verprasste die „Krypto-Queen“ das Geld ihrer Opfer in DubaiInvestigative journalismHigh reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

Add to this entry

July 2014

2014: documented involvement in BigCoin/Prosper and promotion of CryptoReal Investment Trust before OneCoin launch

Allegations

Specialist archives show Ignatova speaking at a BigCoin event in 2014 to promote converting BigCoin tokens into shares of a 'CryptoReal Investment Trust'. This activity immediately preceded OneCoin's creation and displayed several structural similarities identified by specialist investigators.

Legal status — source text: no_identified_personal_judgment_for_BigCoin_activity
Attribution: Directly implicated

Sources · 1

[1]
BehindMLMBigCoin & BNA: The original OneCoin Ponzi pointsBlogLow reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

Add to this entry

II. Constellation of documented links

No documented link with another published profile for now.

Two profiles are linked when a documented controversy of one names the other. The link points to that controversy and its sources; it does not indicate a personal relationship.

III. Has something changed?

A new court decision, a missing source, a mistake? Tell us what should be updated: every request is read by the editorial team.

Support the archive

Controversia checks and updates its profiles independently. Support is optional and has no effect on the content of profiles.

Donate