In July 2022 Ruja Ignatova, the self-styled 'Cryptoqueen' behind a pyramid scheme called OneCoin, was placed on the FBI's Top 10 Most Wanted list. Accused of defrauding investors of an amount estimated at between $3.6 to 4.5 billion, the Bulgarian-born Ignatova disappeared in 2017. In June last year came a new development: The FBI increased the existing reward of $250,000 to a whopping $5 million for any information that leads to her arrest.
The question is why and, according to one of those who've spent the time investigating this story, it's all about turning the head of someone in her entourage. "We examined some of her connections to organized crime groups, and many people believe that if Dr Ruja is still in hiding, it will be with their protection," says Jamie Bartlett, the journalist behind the BBC podcast series The Missing Cryptoqueen. "$100,000 wouldn't persuade a junior member of a crime syndicate or a personal bodyguard to call the FBI’s hotline—it's far too risky. But $5 million just might.
