Onecoin Cryptoqueen’s Ex-boyfriend Gets 5 Years in Prison – Bloomberg Law has reported that Gilbert Armenta, the former partner of Ruja Ignatova, the founder of the cryptocurrency pyramid scheme OneCoin, has been convicted in the United States. As per court records, he aided in laundering $300 million in profits from one of the most significant Ponzi schemes in the history of cryptocurrency.
After admitting to charges of wire fraud, money laundering, and extortion in relation to Onecoin, Armenta, who is currently 59 years old, cooperated with the investigation for approximately two years. However, he subsequently breached the agreement by engaging in other criminal activities. Onecoin, which was established in 2014, operated as a worldwide multi-level marketing system centered on a cryptocurrency that was promoted as the “Bitcoin killer,” even though it never truly existed.
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According to Onecoin’s internal records, over $4 billion was invested by more than 3 million individuals in Onecoin since 2016. Ruja Ignatova, a German national of Bulgarian origin, went missing in October 2017 after taking a Ryanair flight from Sofia to Athens. She remains at large and is wanted by Interpol, Europol, and the FBI. In 2019, her brother and co-founder, Konstantin, was arrested in Los Angeles and pleaded guilty to charges related to Onecoin.
He also requested witness protection in the United States. Additionally, in December 2022, Karl Sebastian Greenwood, a co-founder with citizenship in both Sweden and the UK, also pleaded guilty to his role in the fraudulent scheme. Media reports have occasionally revealed information about Ignatova’s location and actions.
In July of last year, the prominent Greek newspaper Kathimerini reported that the Hellenic Police had attempted to find and detain her based on intelligence indicating that she was in the country and holding meetings with unidentified individuals. Earlier this year, British media discovered that the “missing Cryptoqueen” had purchased a $15 million apartment through a company based in Guernsey, and that it was now up for sale.
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According to a BBC report, the Kensington penthouse had been put on the market with the approval of German authorities. Martin Breidenbach, a German attorney who worked for Ignatova, has been accused by prosecutors in Bielefeld of money laundering for his involvement in the transfer of €20 million (over $21 million) to purchase a four-bedroom apartment. In October, he and two associates of Onecoin were brought before the court to face charges of fraud and other offenses.
