The Onecoin fiasco continues to make headlines as a series of alleged money laundering companies were exposed on July 25, two Onecoin leaders were recently killed in Mexico, and British author Jamie Bartlett revealed that a new episode of 'The Missing Cryptoqueen' is coming soon.
Money Laundering Defendant Thrown Under the Bus
Onecoin's Bulgarian-born 'Cryptoqueen' Ruja Ignatova remains at large, but her associates face justice. Attorney Mark Scott was charged with laundering $400 million through British Virgin Islands funds. His co-conspirator Gilbert Armenta, who tried to delay sentencing, now has a new judge. NYSD Judge Edgardo Ramos set Armenta's sentencing for October 21, 2020. Unsealed documents reveal Armenta's companies linked to Ignatova's Raven R firm, exposing multiple individuals.
Two Promoters Found Stuffed in Suitcases
On June 30, Onecoin promoters Ignacio Ibarra and Brito Ibarra were kidnapped in Mexico and found dead two days later, their bodies stuffed into suitcases and dumped in a vacant parking lot in Mazatlan. They promoted Onecoin through an entity called Latin American Automotive Marketing Company (CLA). No arrests have been made, but the killings are widely seen as connected to internal conflicts within the scam.
BBC Podcast Returns with Darker Episode
The popular BBC Sounds show 'The Missing Cryptoqueen' is releasing a new episode. Jamie Bartlett tweeted: 'We’re back. The story is even crazier than we thought. Episode 9 coming soon.' He told news.Bitcoin.com: 'Over the last 6 months the story of Onecoin had got even stranger and darker than we realised. There is still a lot we are investigating.' The podcast has millions of listeners and will likely explore more clues about Ignatova's whereabouts and the scheme's inner workings.
Onecoin, which operated since 2014, defrauded investors of over $4 billion through fake cryptocurrency and pyramid schemes. Ruja Ignatova disappeared in 2017, but the legal aftermath continues to unfold.