Key Takeaways
- • The U.S. Department of Justice launched the OneCoin remission program on April 13, offering compensation to victims who bought OneCoin between 2014 and 2019 and suffered net losses, with an application deadline of June 30, 2026.
- • The program will distribute more than $40 million in forfeited assets seized from key figures in the OneCoin scheme, according to the FBI and DOJ announcement.
- • Investors collectively lost the equivalent of more than $4 billion in the fraud, which was promoted as a "Bitcoin killer" through a multi-level marketing structure.
- • Applications are free, filing a petition does not guarantee compensation, and claims are administered through onecoinremission.com, which is controlled by Kroll Settlement Administration LLC.
- • Co-founder Ruja Ignatova remains at large and is on the FBI Ten Most Wanted list; the State Department offers up to $5 million for information leading to her arrest or conviction.
Summary
The FBI is urging victims of the OneCoin cryptocurrency investment scheme who sustained net losses to apply for compensation through a Department of Justice remission program before the June 30, 2026 deadline. The DOJ launched the remissions process and the official website, onecoinremission.com, on April 13. Eligible claimants are individuals who purchased OneCoin between 2014 and 2019 and incurred pecuniary losses directly resulting from the scheme. Petitions may be filed by mail, email, or an online form, though the FBI notes that filing does not guarantee payment. The program is free to join, and the DOJ states that justice.gov and onecoinremission.com are the only authorized websites for the investigation.
OneCoin was co-founded around 2014 by Ruja Ignatova and Karl Sebastian Greenwood and marketed from Bulgaria as a virtual currency that would become a "Bitcoin killer." According to FBI New York Special Agent Ronald Shimko, the company promoted the token at large conferences worldwide and used a multi-level marketing structure in which investors recruited friends and family. The tokens ultimately proved worthless, and investors collectively lost the equivalent of more than $4 billion, per the FBI. The remission program will use more than $40 million in forfeited assets seized from multiple figures in the scheme.
Ignatova was charged in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in October 2017, and a superseding indictment in February 2018 added counts including wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy, and securities fraud. The FBI added her to its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list on June 30, 2022, and she remains at large. Greenwood was arrested in Thailand in July 2018, extradited to the U.S. in October 2018, and sentenced to 20 years in prison on September 12, 2023. The IRS and DOJ also contributed to the investigation. Anyone with information on Ignatova's whereabouts is directed to tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI.
OneCoin was co-founded around 2014 by Ruja Ignatova and Karl Sebastian Greenwood and marketed from Bulgaria as a virtual currency that would become a "Bitcoin killer." According to FBI New York Special Agent Ronald Shimko, the company promoted the token at large conferences worldwide and used a multi-level marketing structure in which investors recruited friends and family. The tokens ultimately proved worthless, and investors collectively lost the equivalent of more than $4 billion, per the FBI. The remission program will use more than $40 million in forfeited assets seized from multiple figures in the scheme.
Ignatova was charged in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in October 2017, and a superseding indictment in February 2018 added counts including wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy, and securities fraud. The FBI added her to its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list on June 30, 2022, and she remains at large. Greenwood was arrested in Thailand in July 2018, extradited to the U.S. in October 2018, and sentenced to 20 years in prison on September 12, 2023. The IRS and DOJ also contributed to the investigation. Anyone with information on Ignatova's whereabouts is directed to tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI.
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