- Manhattan prosecutors have sentenced Irina Dilkinska, former Head of Legal and Compliance for OneCoin, to four years in prison
- US District Judge Edgardo Ramos also ordered Dilkinska to forfeit over $111 million
- Dilkinska played a pivotal role in creating and managing shell companies to launder OneCoin proceeds,
Former Head of Legal and Compliance for OneCoin, Irina Dilkinska, has been sentenced to four years in prison for her involvement in a $4 billion fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme. Manhattan prosecutors announced the sentencing on Wednesday, revealing that US District Judge Edgardo Ramos also ordered Dilkinska, aged 42, to forfeit more than $111 million. Dilkinska played a central role in the creation and management of shell companies to launder OneCoin proceeds and hold property belonging to other key figures in the scheme, including executive Konstantin Ignatov.
Dilkinska Destroyed Evidence
Dilkinska was charged in March 2023 with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, to which she pleaded guilty that November. Her assistance included aiding co-conspirator Mark Scott, a former equity partner at a prominent international law firm, in laundering approximately $400 million in OneCoin proceeds through a series of fake Cayman Islands investment funds operated by Scott.
Dilkinska utilized shell companies like B&N Consult EEOD to disguise the transfer of millions of dollars as purported investments into Scott’s funds. In September 2018, upon learning of Scott’s arrest, Dilkinska took steps to destroy incriminating documents and alert Ignatov of the unfolding events. Ignatov avoided a jail term for his role last month when the Probation Department recommended a sentence of time served.
“Tragic Saga”
At the time of her charging, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damien Williams, summarized her crimes:
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.
Following the sentencing, John Buza, a partner at New York-based Konta Georges & Buza representing Dilkinska, expressed her desire to move forward from the ordeal, saying, “She greatly looks forward to putting this tragic saga in her life behind her so she can get back to her family.”
The sentencing of Irina Dilkinska marks a significant development in the ongoing legal proceedings against individuals involved in the OneCoin cryptocurrency scheme, which has already seen the likes of Scott and co-founder Karl Sebastian Greenwood sentenced to multiple years behind bars.
