Eight individuals promoting the OneCoin pyramid scheme were arrested in Cordoba, Argentina, on December 10, 2020. The sweep targeted local facilitators, including radio and television personality Edgar Moreno, under orders from Complex Crimes Prosecutor Enrique Gavier.
Those detained alongside Moreno included Gustavo Adolfo Amuchástegui, Andrés Matías López, Mariana Noel López, Manuel Vicente Peralta Guevara, Mónica Gabriela Blasco, Daniel Cornaglia, and Ricardo Beretta. Their arrests marked a significant step in the long-running global crackdown on OneCoin, a scheme that promised a revolutionary digital currency but operated as a fraudulent investment program.
The Cordoba Complex Crimes Unit also indicted four additional figures in connection with the scam. They named OneCoin founder Ruja Ignatova, her brother Konstantin Ignatov, and prominent promoters José Gordo and Eduardo Alejandro Taylor. Ignatova, known as the "Cryptoqueen," remains a fugitive, indicted by US authorities and placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list for her alleged role in orchestrating the multi-billion dollar fraud.
Konstantin Ignatov, who took over leadership after his sister's disappearance, pleaded guilty to fraud charges in late 2019 following his arrest in the United States. He continues to cooperate with US prosecutors and awaits sentencing. José Gordo, a top OneCoin promoter, based in Spain, had served as the scheme's Master Distributor for Latin America and Mexico after co-founder Sebastian Greenwood's arrest. By late 2019, Gordo had moved on to promote other alleged Ponzi schemes, including Apex International and later Beyond Wealth, a reboot of the Onyx Lifestyle scheme.
Eduardo Alejandro Taylor, an Argentinian promoter, initially evaded authorities. He fled Argentina for Brazil and began promoting the Crowd1 Ponzi scheme. Brazilian authorities later arrested Taylor, while Ariel Morasut, another suspect in the OneCoin case, was arrested in Argentina.
The arrests in Cordoba followed an investigation into a victim who lost approximately €70,000. This individual was first contacted in March 2018 and subsequently joined a WhatsApp group established in 2017 to promote OneCoin. The victim initially invested €1,000, then expanded his investment to nearly $70,000. Promoters assured investors that OneCoin would go "public" on the international market on January 8, 2019, with its value skyrocketing. They urged immediate and substantial investment before this date, claiming the opportunity would soon vanish.
January 8, 2019, passed with no public launch or increase in value. Investors pressed for explanations and received new promises, a recurring pattern in the OneCoin scheme globally. The Cordoba victim attempted to recover his money from Moreno, but failed. He filed a formal complaint with authorities on June 30, 2020.
Prosecutor Gavier's office took on the case. After gathering substantial evidence, his team conducted simultaneous raids across Cordoba. These operations targeted private residences, notary offices, law firms, the local OneLife company headquarters, and the offices of Compañía Bursátil SA. The coordinated searches led directly to the charges and arrests of the eight local promoters.
The OneCoin fraud, estimated to have defrauded victims of over $4 billion worldwide, relied on a complex network of promoters like those arrested in Cordoba. They sold "educational packages" tied to a cryptocurrency that never existed. In November 2022, Rodrigo Domínguez and Aldo Leguizamón, also involved in the Argentinian OneCoin operation, pleaded guilty to charges and received prison sentences.