Argentine Arm of Onecoin Sentenced to 71+ Years in Prison
While Onecoin, one of the largest Ponzi schemes in cryptocurrency history, exploded in 2019, legal actions targeting people linked to the operation are still happening.
The Argentine arm of Onecoin, integrated by 12 individuals, was sentenced to up to 9 years in jail after the group confessed to their involvement in the scheme. On Friday the 13th, the 10th Criminal Court of Córdoba handed down sentences to:
- Edgar Moreno (55), 6 years and 11 months.
- Ricardo Beretta (55), 7 years.
- Alejandro Taylor (54), 9 years.
- Ariel Eduardo Morasut (47), 6 years and 11 months.
- Mariana Noel López (44), 3 years and 10 months.
- Manuel Peralta Guevara (65), 8 years.
- Andrés Matías Lopez (42), 6 and a half years.
- Aldo Javier Leguizamon (57), 3 years suspended.
- Nancy Díaz (66), 3 years suspended.
- Mónica Gabriela Blasco (58), 6 years and 11 months.
- Daniel Cornaglia (45), 6 and a half years.
- Adolfo Gustavo Amuchastegui (73), 8 years.
The court also ordered them to pay $82,000 in compensation to the plaintiffs. Taylor, who did not chip in to meet the court’s compensation number, received the longest sentence by far, acknowledging having millions and possessing over 12 luxury cars at some time.
Most of the sentenced were arrested in 2020, after the country received a complaint from a victim who gave about $70,000 to the group in 2018. There is still another Onecoin case in the courts involving a web of bank employees who laundered money obtained from the scam and got it out of the country.
Ruja Ignatova, the founder of the Onecoin scam, which received over $4.5 billion in investments, is still at large. Ignatova is listed as one of the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted fugitives, but there are conflicting reports about her possible whereabouts.
While initially the FBI stated that she could have traveled to the United Arab Emirates, Bulgaria, Germany, Russia, Greece, and/or Eastern Europe using a German passport, other reports indicate that she could have already died in 2018.
A Bulgarian website called Bureau for Investigative Reporting and Data (Bird.bg) alleges that Ignatova was dismembered and thrown into the Ionian Sea on the order of a drug lord.
FAQ
What happened to the Onecoin operators in Argentina? A Córdoba court sentenced 12 individuals from the local branch to up to nine years in prison for their role in the Ponzi scheme.
What financial penalties did the Argentine court impose? Alongside jail time, the convicted operators were ordered to pay $82,000 in collective compensation to the defrauded plaintiffs.
Why did Alejandro Taylor receive the harshest local sentence? Taylor received nine years because he refused to contribute to the court-ordered compensation fund despite his admitted wealth.
Is the global founder of the Onecoin scam in custody? Founder Ruja Ignatova remains an FBI fugitive, although unverified reports suggest she may have been murdered in 2018.
