Head of OneCoin pyramid compliance faces up to 40 years in prison

U.S. federal prosecutors charged Irina Dilkinskaya, the former head of the legal department and compliance at the OneCoin cryptocurrency pyramid, with fraud and conspiracy to launder money.

Bulgarian woman charged for role in multi-billion-dollar cryptocurrency pyramid scheme “OneCoin” and extradited from Bulgaria to the United Stateshttps://t.co/XsY0rYJWeF

— US Attorney SDNY (@SDNYnews) March 21, 2023

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the defendant, through shell companies, helped launder more than $400 million in OneCoin proceeds. Additionally, after the firm’s attorney Mark Scott was arrested, she destroyed compromising evidence.

On March 20, Dilkinskaya was extradited from Bulgaria to the United States. Taken together, the charges carry a potential sentence of up to 40 years in prison.

OneCoin was founded in 2014 by Ruja Ignatova together with Sebastian Greenwood. The project was initially pitched as a high-yield cryptocurrency, with investors earning profits not only from the asset’s appreciation but also from recruiting new participants.

In November 2019, a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York found Mark Scott guilty of laundering nearly $400 million.

In spring 2019, Konstantin Ignatov, Ruja Ignatova’s brother, was detained at Los Angeles International Airport. He later pleaded guilty to several counts.

In February 2023, journalists reported the murder of Ignatova, who was on Europol’sЕвропола and ФБР‘s most-wanted lists.