Ruja Ignatova, founder of the infamous cryptocurrency pyramid Onecoin, was alerted to police investigations into the scam before she disappeared. ‘Cryptoqueen’ has been active for several years, wanted by law enforcement agencies around the world.
Onecoin Mastermind Learned About Arrest Effort From Leaked Police Documents, Revealed Podcast
A media report has shed light on how Onecoin founder Ruja Ignatova may have been warned about plans to detain her months before she disappeared nearly 5 years ago. That’s according to files seen by the BBC, which aired a podcast devoted to the story of the infamous fugitive called ‘The Missing Cryptoqueen.’
Documents obtained by Frank Schneider, a former Luxembourg intelligence officer and once trusted adviser to Ignatova who is facing extradition to the United States, show his alleged role. in the Ponzi scheme. Schneider denies obtaining the files herself and claims that he received them on a flash drive from Ruja while metadata shows she obtained them through her own contacts in Bulgaria.
Ignatova, 42, born in Bulgaria, also a German national, is wanted by Interpol, Europol and the FBI for appropriating $4 billion from fraudulent investors. She was last seen on October 25, 2017, when she boarded a Ryanair flight to Athens. Media reports revealed this summer that Greek police had been trying to locate her, based on information about her recent meetings in the country.
According to the BBC, the police file includes presentations given during the “Satellite Operation” meeting at Europol’s headquarters in The Hague held on 15 March 2017. It involved attended by representatives of the FBI, the US Department of Justice and the New York District Attorney. Officers from Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Dubai and Bulgaria were also present.
Participants discussed the details of the crypto pyramid investigation, including an unsuccessful attempt by the City of London Police to interview Ignatova. The FBI does not comment on the Europol documents but Special Agent Paul Roberts told the podcast:
There have been many investigations around the world into her and Onecoin in general, many of which she became aware of due to the actions of law enforcement in other countries.
In 2019, US prosecutors allege that it was Schneider who provided Cryptoqueen with classified police information. However, he asserts that “when the Bulgarian attends certain Europol meetings, it only takes her hours to get the complete summary and to get the minutes of what was said in those meetings. “.
The Bulgarian Interior Ministry, US law enforcement agencies attended the meeting in March 2017 and Dubai Police declined to comment. Europol, which said it was looking into the matter, stated that “This complex scenario with many stakeholders makes it difficult to assess where and how such an incident could occur”.
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