Sofia, Bulgaria – In a rare and emotional interview with Bulgarian broadcaster bTV, Konstantin Ignatov, the brother of fugitive “Crypto Queen” Ruja Ignatova, opened up about his turbulent past, his conflicted feelings toward his sister, and his efforts to rebuild his life following a high-profile prison sentence tied to the OneCoin cryptocurrency scam.
“I’m ashamed of my past because I worked for OneCoin,” Ignatov confessed, referring to the fraudulent investment scheme led by his sister that defrauded investors out of billions of euros. He spent three years in an American prison and two more under house arrest, monitored by GPS.
Before Ruja Ignatova’s disappearance in 2017, she asked Konstantin to join her team as a personal assistant, primarily managing her travel logistics.
“She told me everything would be fine and that she planned to return,” he said. When Ruja vanished, her partners convinced Konstantin to step in to reassure anxious clients. “I believed her and her partners,” he admitted. “That’s why I gave presentations worldwide.”
Despite playing a public role in the company, Konstantin emphasized that he had no background in cryptocurrencies and held no managerial position prior to Ruja’s disappearance. “I was just working for the company,” he added, suggesting he had been manipulated by more experienced players.
Now back in Bulgaria for over a year, Konstantin says he is focused on the present. His return marks a quiet effort to turn the page on what he calls “a deeply shameful chapter.”
He revealed that just before his arrest, he learned he was going to become a father, a discovery that made his time behind bars even more painful.
“Prison was hard. I could manage the misery, but not being there for my child’s early years was very painful,” he said.
Konstantin described the prison environment as “brutal,” plagued by violence and fear. “I hit rock bottom several times,” he recalled. “There is no redemption in the eyes of others. Once you make a mistake, people never let you forget it. The challenge is learning to forgive yourself.”
His relationship with his sister Ruja — once close — is now shattered. “On one hand, she’s my sister, the person I grew up with and loved.
On the other, she coldly dragged me into this mess and then disappeared.” After his arrest, he read an email from her associates promising to secure a light sentence for him — a gesture he now sees as empty. “I gave up my life in Germany for them, and this is how it ended.”
When asked if he still wonders about Ruja’s fate, Konstantin’s answer was blunt. “I don’t know if she’s alive, and I don’t want to know. I haven’t seen anything good from her.”
Reflecting on the transformation in his life, he concluded: “I used to feel like an extra in my own story. Now I’m grounded, focused on rebuilding.”
Ruja Ignatova remains on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. Her whereabouts remain unknown.