https://cdn.aarp.net/content/dam/aarp/money/scams_fraud/2022/10/1140-podcasts-about-scams.jpg

Is the Cryptoqueen Missing: Living or Deceased?

Ruja Ignatova, the CEO of fraudulent cryptocurrency OneCoin, is currently the top target of the FBI. She is accused of embezzling billions of dollars before disappearing. Newly discovered evidence sheds light on what could have potentially transpired. The lingering question remains: is she in hiding or was she the victim of foul play?

We are currently investigating in order to uncover what happened to her. Both BBC Eye Investigations and Panorama have examined her strong connection to a suspected Bulgarian criminal leader and claims that she was murdered in a brutal manner. Did Ms Ignatova benefit from the stolen billions or was she targeted for death by the very individuals hired to keep her safe?

Ruja Ignatova, an alumna of Oxford University, was born in Bulgaria but grew up in Germany. She started a successful career in finance and later created the cryptocurrency OneCoin in 2014.

Ms. Ignatova successfully convinced millions of individuals worldwide to invest in OneCoin, making claims of outpacing the significant profits gained by initial investors in Bitcoin.

However, the truth is that Ms Ignatova, also referred to as Dr Ruja, had actually crafted a sophisticated investment scam that appeared legitimate, but did not have the same technological foundation as reputable cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.

In October 2017, as investigators from Germany and the US were nearing Ms Ignatova, she flew out of Sofia to Athens on a Ryanair flight in the early morning and has not been seen since.

Over the course of the last 12 months, the BBC World Service teams of Eye Investigations and Panorama have been actively pursuing information about her fate and potential survival.

The crucial aspect was determining the people closest to her.

Richard Reinhardt, a member of the US Internal Revenue Service and FBI, revealed to the BBC information about a significant individual involved in the OneCoin investigation who has not been publicly identified before.

The search for Dr. Ruja Ignatova takes a surprising twist as reports surface claiming she has been killed. However, with continued sightings of Dr. Ruja, could this claim be valid?

.

View the program currently airing on BBC iPlayer (available only in UK) or BBC One at 8:00 PM on Monday, June 3 (10:40 PM in Wales). If located outside the UK, tune in via YouTube.

The BBC understands it is the man who had been given the role of keeping Ms Ignatova safe – Hristoforos Nikos Amanatidis, commonly known as Taki.

During our initial interview since his retirement in late 2023, Mr. Reinhardt informed us that there were allegations that a notorious drug dealer oversaw her personal protection.

“Taki was mentioned multiple times, it wasn’t just a one-time occurrence. That was a repeated motif.”

This aligned with the previous knowledge we possessed – according to US government attorneys in 2019, the head of security for Ms. Ignatova was a prominent criminal figure involved in organized crime in Bulgaria, though his name was not disclosed.

An assistant attorney stated that there is proof of a highly influential drug smuggler in Bulgaria who was closely associated with OneCoin and even acted as the personal security guard for Ruja Ignatova, potentially making them one of the top traffickers in the country.

Earlier in court, a different lawyer representing the US government stated that this “head of security” was linked to the disappearance of Ms. Ignatova.

As stated by Mr Reinhardt, Ms Ignatova was a significantly more complex offender than many may perceive.

This comparison likens the person to a white-collar criminal and a highly amplified drug trafficker or mafia member.

According to leaked Europol documents, which were viewed by the BBC, it seems that this theory is backed up by evidence that Bulgarian police had linked Ms Ignatova to Taki before her disappearance in 2017.

In the paperwork, law enforcement has reason to believe that Taki utilized OneCoin’s financial system to hide the profits from selling illegal drugs.

In his native Bulgaria, Taki has an almost mythical status – an El Chapo or Pablo Escobar. He is widely suspected of being the head of a Bulgarian organised crime organisation and a prolific drug smuggler. He and