Ruja Ignatova

1980-05-30

Ruja Ignatova born in Ruse, Bulgaria.

1990-01-01

Ignatova family emigrates to Germany following the fall of the Iron Curtain.

2005-01-01

Ignatova completes PhD in private international law at the University of Konstanz; also holds an Oxford Master's degree in European and Comparative Law.

2012-01-01

Convicted of fraud in Germany in connection with a company acquisition involving her father; receives a 14-month suspended sentence.

2014-01-01

Co-founds OneCoin Ltd. in Sofia, Bulgaria, alongside Karl Sebastian Greenwood, launching the global MLM-based fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme.

2016-06-11

Hosts a large promotional event for OneCoin investors at Wembley Arena, London, presenting herself as 'Dr. Ruja' and marketing OneCoin as the 'Bitcoin killer.'

2017-10-12

Grand jury in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, indicts Ignatova on charges of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

2017-10-25

Ignatova boards a Ryanair flight from Sofia to Athens, Greece, and disappears; she has not been seen publicly since. She was scheduled to address investors in Lisbon on this date.

2018-02-01

Superseding indictment filed in SDNY adds charges of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and securities fraud.

2018-07-01

Karl Sebastian Greenwood arrested in Thailand.

2019-03-01

Konstantin Ignatov, Ruja's brother and OneCoin's de facto CEO after her disappearance, arrested at Los Angeles International Airport.

2019-11-12

Konstantin Ignatov's guilty plea to fraud and money laundering charges made public; he faces up to 90 years in prison but cooperated with authorities.

2019-11-25

Attorney Mark Scott convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to commit bank fraud for laundering over $400 million in OneCoin proceeds.

2022-06-01

FBI adds Ruja Ignatova to its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list; initial reward of $250,000 offered.

2022-12-01

Karl Sebastian Greenwood pleads guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy to launder money.

2023-04-01

Mark Scott sentenced to 10 years in federal prison and ordered to forfeit approximately $393 million.

2023-09-13

Karl Sebastian Greenwood sentenced to 20 years in federal prison and ordered to forfeit $300 million by U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos.

2024-06-01

FBI reward for information leading to Ignatova's arrest increased from $250,000 to $5,000,000. U.S. Department of State also lists reward under Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program.

2025-11-01

Prosecutors trace alleged Ignatova assets to two London luxury properties valued at approximately £11.4 million, sold via shell companies in Guernsey.

2026-04-14

U.S. Department of Justice opens formal $40 million victim compensation claims process, administered by Kroll Settlement Administration LLC, with a June 30, 2026 deadline.