Sofia City Prosecutor's Office (SCPO) constituted as accused party the German citizen of Bulgarian origin Ruzha Ignatova in pre-trial proceedings initiated in connection with materials received from foreign law enforcement agencies.
Ignatova is accused of organizing and leading an organized criminal group on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria in the period from 2014 to 2017, established for the purpose of committing investment fraud under the "Ponzi" scheme as well as her own benefit.
Ruzha Ignatova is also accused of money laundering - for the fact that in the period from 2014 to 2017, under the conditions of a long-term crime, as an instigator and helper in some cases, and in others as a perpetrator, she carried out numerous property transactions, thereby concealing the origin and actual right in the property, which she knew was acquired through crime - "Ponzi" type investment frauds and the acts were carried out in execution of a decision of the organized criminal group, the property is in particularly large size and the case is particularly severe. The above constitutes a crime under Art. 253, para. 5 in connection with para. 3 of the Criminal Code, which is punishable by imprisonment from 5 to 15 years and a fine.
Detention for up to 72 hours has been ordered on the accused party, which will be carried out when she is found.
On June 26, 2024, in Sofia, Palace of Justice, Acting Prosecutor General of the Republic of Bulgaria Borislav Sarafov and US Ambassador to Bulgaria H.E. Kenneth Merten made a statement on a joint investigation against the criminal activity of German citizen of Bulgarian origin Ruzha Ignatova and the financial pyramid "OneCoin" led by her.
Acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov emphasized the need of cooperation between the law enforcement authorities of separate states in countering crimes that "accumulate significant financial and material assets acquired through criminal conduct".
On his part, the US ambassador to Bulgaria H.E. Kenneth Merten said that today the US government announced a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Ruzha Ignatova, who is being investigated for one of the largest fraud schemes in history for over 4 billion US dollars.