Ruja Ignatova, the founder of the OneCoin cryptocurrency scheme, vanished in October 2017, leaving behind an estimated $4 billion in investor losses. US authorities later brought down the criminal enterprise, which had operated as a global Ponzi scheme for years. The Department of Justice alleged that OneCoin defrauded millions of people across the world.

Ignatova was central to the planning and execution of the OneCoin fraud. She marketed OneCoin as a revolutionary digital currency, urging investors to buy "packages" that promised high returns. But the cryptocurrency was never mined in a decentralized fashion. Instead, its value was manipulated by OneCoin’s internal system, with new investor money paying off earlier investors. The scheme relied heavily on a multi-level marketing structure, incentivizing participants to recruit more people.

By mid-2017, Ignatova felt increasing pressure from international investigations. She boarded a flight to Greece in October 2017 and has not been seen publicly since. Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York charged Ignatova with wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and securities fraud conspiracy. She remains a fugitive, wanted by US authorities and the FBI, for her role in orchestrating one of the largest financial frauds in history. Investigators believe Ignatova enriched herself and her family by hundreds of millions of dollars, potentially even more, through the scheme. Much of these funds remain unaccounted for, though some were linked to a Bulgarian property portfolio and luxury assets.

Konstantin Ignatov, Ruja's younger brother, took over leadership of OneCoin after her disappearance. He served officially as OneCoin’s Head of Administration, later adopting the title of "Supreme Leader." Konstantin traveled globally for two years, making appearances at OneCoin events and attempting to maintain the illusion of a legitimate operation. However, he was largely left to manage the remnants of the collapsing scheme, inheriting a business already under intense scrutiny.

US authorities arrested Konstantin Ignatov at Los Angeles International Airport in March 2019. He faced charges of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. Konstantin Ignatov subsequently pleaded guilty to multiple felonies in October 2019, including money laundering and fraud. He admitted to lying under oath about Ruja Ignatova's