Irina Dilkinska, former head of legal and compliance for OneCoin, receives a four-year prison sentence for her involvement in money laundering, adding to the legal fallout from the $4 billion Ponzi scheme.
OneCoin Legal Head Sentenced
In a significant development regarding the multibillion-dollar OneCoin fraud scheme, Irina Dilkinska, the company’s former head of legal and compliance, has been sentenced to four years in prison. United States District Judge Edgardo Ramos delivered the verdict on Wednesday, following Dilkinska's admission of aiding in laundering millions of dollars. As per an April 3 statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the sentencing also includes one month of supervised release and over $100 million in restitution.
Judge’s Comments
Dilkinska, 42, pleaded guilty in November to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Judge Ramos rejected her plea to avoid imprisonment and return to Bulgaria to care for her children.
Criticizing her actions, Ramos commented that a woman of her “intelligence” should have known better.
He emphasized
“She had in her hands precisely what she needed to know about what she had involved herself in. I honestly do not understand what prevented her from leaving the scheme before the point when it was brought down."
Prosecution’s Claims And Charges
Prosecutors revealed that Dilkinska played a significant role from 2014 to 2019, aiding Mark Scott, OneCoin’s U.S.-based lawyer, in laundering $400 million through fictitious Cayman Islands investment funds. Scott, convicted in 2019, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in January.
The judge denied Dilkinska's request for leniency, which highlighted the difficult year she had already served in the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, which she described as a “crucible of hardship.”
According to a New York-based attorney, Damian Wiliams,
"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."
OneCoin Saga and Previous Cases
Dilkinska's sentencing underscores the ongoing legal repercussions faced by individuals associated with OneCoin. The scheme, co-founded by the infamous “crypto queen” Ruja Ignatova, operated as a $4 billion international Ponzi scheme without a genuine cryptocurrency. Instead, it incentivized members to recruit others to purchase worthless OneCoin packages.
Previously, Karl Sebastian Greenwood, OneCoin’s co-founder, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for fraud and money laundering and ordered to pay $300 million in restitution. Former OneCoin attorney Mark Scott has also been sentenced to 10 years in prison
Ignatova herself is on the FBI's top 10 most wanted list in 2022 since she is still missing and presumed to be dead.
Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.
