The fallout from the Onecoin Ponzi scheme continues. On March 13, the 10th Criminal Court of Córdoba handed down sentences to 12 individuals linked to the local branch, with jail terms ranging from suspended sentences to a maximum of 9 years. The court also ordered them to pay a collective $82,000 in compensation to victims.
Longest sentence for those refusing to pay
Alejandro Taylor, 54, received the harshest penalty of nine years. Court documents show Taylor acknowledged possessing millions in assets and owning over 12 luxury cars, but refused to contribute to the court-ordered compensation. Other principal sentences: Adolfo Gustavo Amuchastegui (73) and Manuel Peralta Guevara (65) each got 8 years; Ricardo Beretta (55) got 7 years; Edgar Moreno (55), Ariel Eduardo Morasut (47), and Mónica Gabriela Blasco (58) each received 6 years and 11 months; Andrés Matias Lopez (42) and Daniel Cornaglia (45) each got 6.5 years. Two received suspended three-year sentences: Aldo Javier Leguizamon (57) and Nancy Díaz (66).
Most of the convicts were arrested in 2020 after a victim who paid about $70,000 to the group in 2018 filed a complaint.
Separate bank employee money laundering case ongoing
The court is also processing another Onecoin-related case involving bank employees who allegedly laundered scam proceeds and moved them abroad. That case remains open.
Ruja Ignatova: Fugitive or dead?
Onecoin founder Ruja Ignatova (the 'Cryptoqueen') remains at large and is listed among the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted. The FBI previously said she may have traveled to the UAE, Bulgaria, Germany, Russia, Greece, and Eastern Europe using a German passport. However, Bulgarian news site Bird.bg reported that Ignatova was dismembered and thrown into the Ionian Sea on the orders of a drug lord in 2018. This claim has not been officially confirmed.
Onecoin collected over $4.5 billion before collapsing in 2019. Multiple jurisdictions worldwide continue to pursue related individuals.