- Former OneCoin compliance head Irina Dilkinska has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering charges
- Dilkinska is the latest individual prosecuted in the $4 billion scam led by fugitive Dr. Ruja Ignatova
- The Bulgarian faces up to 10 years in prison after admitting to helping to launder about $400 million in OneCoin proceeds.
The former compliance head at OneCoin, Irina Dilkinska, yesterday pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering charges. The 42-year-old Bulgarian is the latest individual to be prosecuted over the $4 billion scam led by international fugitive Dr Ruja Ignatova, and, as a result, faces up to 10 years in prison. Dilkinska was indicted in March on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering helping her co-conspirator, Mark Scott, launder approximately $400 million in OneCoin proceeds.
Dilkinska and Scott Laundered $400 Million
Dilkinska labeled herself the Head of Legal and Compliance for OneCoin, but it seems that there wasn’t an awful lot of compliance and lawyering going on; instead, she actively participated in the establishment and management of shell companies, contributing to the laundering of approximately $400 million in OneCoin proceeds.
In its indictment, the Department of Justice claimed that DilkinskaIn worked in collaboration with co-conspirator Mark Scott, a former equity partner at a prominent international law firm, to launder the funds. Scott was tried and found guilty in 2019 and was jailed for 20 years as a result.
Funds Hidden Behind Behind Shell Companies
One of the methods the pair employed involved the use of B&N Consult EEOD, a company falsely represented as providing “proprietary consulting services, support, and software solutions,” claiming to generate €200 million in income from 2015 to 2016. Dilkinska utilized this shell company to obscure the movement of millions of dollars under the guise of “investments” into Scott’s fabricated funds.
However, the reality was that B&N was merely a shell company with no legitimate income, serving as a tool for Dilkinska to launder OneCoin proceeds. When Scott was arrested in connection with his role in laundering OneCoin funds around September 2018, Dilkinska purportedly took evasive action, burning incriminating documents and sending a text message containing a link to a newspaper article about the arrest to another co-conspirator, Konstantin Ignatov.
Dilkinska’s attorney, John Buza, stated that his client looked forward to moving past this chapter and reuniting with her family. However, she faces up to ten years in prison when she is sentenced on Valentine’s Day next year.
