--- title: "“Cryptoqueen” Accused of Stealing Billions Suddenly Surfaces" description: "She's Back After five years spent in the shadows, Dr. Ruja Ignatova — the infamous crypto scam artist who, along with business partner Sebastian Greenwood, has been accused of stealing roughly $4 billion from hopeful investors — is back. Sort of. Ignatova, better known as the \"Cryptoqueen,\" was reportedly named last month in a property […]" date: "2023-02-01" modified: "2023-02-01" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/cryptoqueen-suddenly-surfaces" categories: - "Blockchain" - "Cryptocurrency" - "Future Society" tags: - "cryptocurrency" - "cryptoqueen" - "ponzi scheme" - "the digest" --- # “Cryptoqueen” Accused of Stealing Billions Suddenly Surfaces ![After five years allegedly on the lam, Dr. Ruja Ignatova — the infamous crypto ponzi scheme scam artist accused of stealing billions — might be back.]() *\Image: YouTube\* ## She's Back After five years spent in the shadows, Dr. Ruja Ignatova — the alleged crypto scam artist who, along with business partner Sebastian Greenwood, has been accused of stealing roughly $4 billion from hopeful investors — is back. Sort of. Ignatova, better known as the "Cryptoqueen," was reportedly named last month in a property document filed by the British government as a beneficial owner of a recently-listed luxury penthouse property in London, which [according to *Decrypt*]() was purchased through a separate group called Abbots House Penthouse Limited. Though Ignatova had purchased the property under that company name back in 2016, a relatively new British law, per *Decrypt*, requires that company beneficiaries also be named in full for the sale to go through. In other words, [by some reports](), it very much looks like Ignatova, who hasn't been seen in *five years*, was forced to crawl out of the weeds — barely — to put the multimillion-dollar London flat up for sale. (Unfortunately for the Cryptoqueen, the property's lister took the flat off the market once they realized that the seller was a globally wanted fraudster.) "It suggests she is still alive," Jamie Bartlett, who hosts "[The Missing Crypto Queen]()" podcast on the *BBC*, [told the UK outlet *iNews*](), "and there are documents out there somewhere which contain vital clues as to her recent whereabouts." "If nothing else," he added, "it should make it easier for the authorities to freeze that asset — and maybe even start getting money back to victims." ## Girlbossing The details of the property do vary slightly between reports — the [*BBC* says]() that the property could instead be traced back to "German prosecutors" involved with the case — and it's also not like Ignatova was wearing a name tag and yelling in the street. Still, any hint at a resurfacing feels like a big deal. Ignatova, who convinced [roughly three million]() unique investors to put their money into a [phony cryptocurrency called OneCoin](), is [currently]() on [the FBI's Most Wanted list]()— the only woman to crack the top ten (girlboss.) Also, as a general rule, five years is a long time to fly completely under the radar. That said, though, while we'd like to get our hopes up for the defrauded OneCoin investors, Ignatova has proven to be extremely good at international high-stakes hide-and-seek. We're not convinced we'll actually be seeing her anytime too soon. **READ MORE:** [*OneCoin Founder Ruja Ignatova Resurfaces After Five Years in Hiding*]() \[*Decrypt*\] **More on the Cryptoqueen:** [*FBI Offers Huge Reward for "Cryptoqueen" Accused of Stealing $4 Billion*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()