Irinia Dilkinska, the former “head of legal and compliance” for OneCoin, has requested to be given time served for her involvement in the cryptocurrency scheme. Her attorney, John Buza, submitted a memorandum to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on March 20, urging the judge to show leniency towards Dilkinska. She had previously pleaded guilty in November 2023 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Buza argued that a sentence beyond time served would be excessive, considering Dilkinska’s unique role in the case and the tough circumstances she is currently facing. Dilkinska admitted to laundering money for OneCoin, which was revealed as a fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme in 2015, defrauding investors of around $4 billion. The scheme was masterminded by co-founders Karl Sebastian Greenwood and Ruja Ignatova, known as the “Cryptoqueen.” Greenwood was sentenced to 20 years in prison in September 2023 and was ordered to pay $300 million in restitution. Ignatova is still at large.
The U.S. Justice Department has specified that Dilkinska’s plea could result in a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Another OneCoin lawyer, Mark Scott, who was convicted of bank fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy in November 2019, was sentenced to 10 years in January. Dilkinska’s defense team submitted letters from friends and family in support of her before the sentencing, emphasizing her favorable behavior while in jail and her role as a loving wife and mother. Buza argued that any sentence longer than time served would be highly unjust.
In March, Judge Edgardo Ramos handed down a time-served sentence to Konstantin Ignatov, the brother of the “Cryptoqueen,” after he spent 34 months in prison. He had pleaded guilty to charges of money laundering and fraud in 2019.
This is ridiculous! She was complicit in a multi-billion dollar fraud scheme and she wants leniency? What about the innocent people she hurt?
Her role in this fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme caused immense harm to countless people. She should receive a severe punishment! 😠💔
How can she claim to be a responsible wife and mother when she was involved in a scheme that ruined lives? She needs to be held accountable!