Missing ‘Cryptoqueen’ Ruja Ignatova loses $11.4M London penthouse fortune as Germany moves to repay OneCoin victims

German prosecutors have recovered €10.1 million ($11.4 million) from the sale of two Kensington properties bought through shell companies by Ruja Ignatova, the missing OneCoin founder known as the “Cryptoqueen.”

The Bielefeld Public Prosecutor’s Office said Monday the money will go toward compensating victims of the multibillion-dollar fraud, even as Ignatova, last seen in 2017, remains wanted by the FBI, Europol and Interpol.

London property sale adds to Cryptoqueen recovery effort

The London property seizure is not the only asset recovery effort involving Ignatova. A court in Guernsey ruled this summer that another £8.59 million held in an island bank account should also be seized.

Those funds are expected to be returned to Germany and used for further compensation of investors who were defrauded through the OneCoin structure. The additional recovery effort underscores the international nature of the investigation, which has involved assets and formal ownership arrangements spanning multiple jurisdictions.

The case has continued years after the disappearance of the Cryptoqueen, with authorities pursuing both financial assets and legal action. The recovery of property proceeds gives investigators and prosecutors another avenue for addressing the financial damage attributed to OneCoin.

The Bielefeld prosecutor’s office remains central to the German proceedings, while authorities in other jurisdictions have handled assets connected to the scheme. Germany’s action demonstrates how property and bank holdings can remain subject to legal recovery proceedings even when a major suspect remains at large.

OneCoin fraud drew millions of investors

OneCoin was founded in 2014 and operated as a global multi-level-marketing network that promoted a cryptocurrency bearing the same name. The project marketed the digital currency as a “Bitcoin killer,” according to the report.

More than 3 million people are believed to have invested in the scheme, based on figures attributed to the company itself. By the fourth quarter of 2016, total investments were reported to have exceeded $4 billion.

The scale of the operation helps explain the continuing focus on recovering assets connected to its founders and associates. For victims, the seizure of property proceeds offers a potential route toward compensation, although the recovery process remains dependent on legal proceedings across jurisdictions.

The Cryptoqueen is widely regarded as the mastermind of OneCoin, but prosecutors have also pursued other senior figures associated with the project. Karl Sebastian Greenwood, a Swedish and British citizen who co-founded the scheme, was arrested in 2018. He pleaded guilty in 2022 and was sentenced to 20 years in prison for wire fraud and money laundering.

Ignatova’s brother, Konstantin, took over after her disappearance and was arrested in the United States in 2019. He later pleaded guilty to charges connected to OneCoin while seeking witness protection.

Cryptoqueen remains wanted as German case advances

Ignatova, who holds a German passport, was last seen in late 2017 after boarding a flight from Sofia, Bulgaria, to Athens, Greece. Her disappearance came shortly after the United States issued a warrant for her arrest.

The Cryptoqueen remains wanted by the FBI, Europol and Interpol. Despite periodic reports about her possible whereabouts, including suggestions that she could still be in Greece, authorities have not located her.

German prosecutors escalated the legal case in September 2025 by filing charges against Ignatova. According to the report, the move was intended to prevent the alleged offenses from becoming time-barred.

“The offences for which she is charged will reach the statute of limitations in 2031,” the German news agency DPA reported, highlighting the significance of the timetable for the case.

The charges include allegations related to building a pyramid scheme. The company behind OneCoin was based in Greven in western Germany and also maintained offices in Sofia.

The Cryptoqueen’s disappearance has therefore not ended the legal pursuit surrounding OneCoin. German authorities continue to seek information that could lead to her arrest, while recovered assets are being directed toward compensation for investors.

For victims, the latest seizure provides a concrete financial development in a case that has remained unresolved for years. For investigators, it represents another effort to convert assets tied to the alleged fraud into recoverable funds while the international search for Ignatova continues.