Production companies Tondowski Films and Dare Pictures are teaming up with Fremantle and broadcasters Sky Germany and Channel 4 on a new documentary series, Crypto Queen (w/t), which promises to shed new light on what The Times called “one of the biggest scams in history.”
The three-part docuseries is currently in production and explores the story of lawyer and Bulgarian businesswoman Dr. Ruja Ignatova (pictured), dubbed “The Queen of Crypto,” who allegedly scammed investors out of billions of dollars in less than three years through her own cryptocurrency, OneCoin. At her peak, she presented OneCoin on stage at Wembley stadium, and hosted parties in Dubai and New York. In October 2017, Ignatova boarded a flight to Athens with her clients’ riches and vanished.
In early 2019, Ignatova was charged in absentia by U.S. authorities for wire fraud, securities fraud and money laundering. That same year, her brother Konstantin Ignatov pleaded guilty to fraud and money laundering in connection with the OneCoin scheme. Earlier this year, Europol added Ignatova to its “most wanted” list and her whereabouts remain unknown.
Filmed across multiple countries, the series features insight from intelligence experts, defrauded investors and former OneCoin employees.
Crypto Queen is created and produced by Tondowski Films and Dare Pictures in association with Lone Wolf Studios, with Sky Germany and Channel 4 on board as broadcast partners. The series is directed by award-winning filmmaker Rudolph Herzog (The Paedophile Next Door, Space X: The Last Exit), working with journalist and writer Raid Sabbah. Executive producers are Alex Tondowski, Ira Tondowski and Derren Lawford. Stephen Morse and Max Peltz from Lone Wolf Studios serve as co-executive producers.
Fremantle, which co-invested in the series, is handling worldwide sales outside of the UK and Germany.