A woman who once served as a key operative to the "Cryptoqueen" will be spending the next four years in a US prison after being found guilty of wire fraud and money laundering.
Irina Dilkinska was handed down the sentence by Judge Edgardo Ramos after taking guilty pleas on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
According to US Attorneys, Dilkinska abused her position as head of legal and compliance with OneCoin to push the company's scheme as an illegal multi-level marketing operation and, in the process, swindled some $4bn out of investors.
"Irina Dilkinska's involvement in the sprawling OneCoin pyramid scheme was a flagrant breach of conduct," said US Attorney Damian Williams.
"Rather than upholding the law and embracing her position as the Head of Legal and Compliance, she facilitated and committed money laundering, aiding in the exploitation of millions of victims."
According to attorneys, Dilkenska served as a key operative to Karl Sebastian Greenwood and Ruja Ignatova, the notorious fraudster turned fugitive and the one-time "crypto queen."
It was found that, while operating OneCoin as a supposedly legitimate cryptocurrency operation, the pair were in fact pushing a pyramid scheme in which investors were pushed to cover their money by recruiting others.
"OneCoin operated as a MLM network through which members received commissions for recruiting others to purchase cryptocurrency packages," the DOj said.
"This MLM structure influenced rapid growth of the OneCoin member network. According to OneCoin’s promotional materials, over three million people invested in fraudulent cryptocurrency packages."
All the while, it was said that the investments were being covered by the mining of a cryptocurrency that, in fact, never existed.
Ignatova has been on the run since 2017, though authorities believe she is alive and well safely beyond the reach of US law enforcement.
Her associates, however, enjoy no such luck. In addition to the four years Dilkinska stands to serve, Karl Sebastian Greenwood plead guilty to fraud and money laundering counts of his own and took a 20 year prison term.
