Lawyer found guilty of helping OneCoin launder £310m

A lawyer has been found guilty of helping OneCoin co-founder Dr Ruja Ignatova launder $400m (£310m, €360m).

Mark S Scott is suspected of being paid $50m to launder the money for Ignatova, using a network of fake companies and investment schemes and offshore bank accounts.

According to prosecutor Julieta Lozano, Scott was paid in kind, receiving a large yacht, three multi-million dollar homes and a range of sports cars, including three Porsches and a Ferrari.

Scott’s defence was that he didn’t know OneCoin was a scam and was simply acting in Ignatova's best interests. However the Manhattan federal jury reached their guilty verdict in four hours.

Dubbed the ”cryptoqueen”, Ignatova launched OneCoin in 2016 and managed to persuade investors around the world to part with $4.4bn. But a year later she disappeared – and hasn't been seen since.

The Bulgaria-based organisation behind OneCoin Ltd continues to operate, despite investigators’ allegations that it is a Ponzi scheme

Ignatova’s brother and co-founder, Konstantin Ignatov, who was arrested in March 2019, pleaded guilty to his participation in the money laundering. He now faces up to 90 years in prison.

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