Lawyer for Cryptoqueens OneCoin compliance chief asks for time served

The attorney cited Irinia Dilkinskas role as a “loving wife and mother,” claiming time served was an appropriate sentence for her role in the OneCoin scheme.

An attorney representing Irinia Dilkinska, who worked as “head of legal and compliance” for OneCoin, requested she be given time served for her role in the crypto scheme.

In a March 20 filing in United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, John Buza submitted a sentencing memorandum asking a judge for leniency for Dilkinska. In November 2023, the former OneCoin compliance chief pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

“I respectfully submits that any sentence more than time-served would be greater that necessary,” said Buza. “Ms. Dilkinskas unique role in this case, together with the devastating situation she finds herself in all suggest that a sentence of time-served is appropriate.”

Dilkinska pleaded guilty to laundering money for OneCoin under co-founders Karl Sebastian Greenwood and Ruja Ignatova, also known as the ‘Cryptoqueen.’ Founded in 2014, OneCoin was exposed as a fraudulent crypto scheme in 2015, bilking investors out of roughly $4 billion.

In September 2023, Greenwood was sentenced to 20 years in prison and ordered to pay $300 million in restitution to OneCoin victims. Ignatova remained at large at the time of publication.

According to the U.S. Justice Department, Dilkinskas guilty plea could carry a maximum potential sentence of 10 years in prison. Mark Scott, a OneCoin lawyer convicted of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering in November 2019, was sentenced to 10 years in January.

Dilkinskas legal team submitted letters from friends and family before her sentencing. Buza cited her good behavior while in jail and her role as a “loving wife and mother,” claiming that any sentence above time served “would run the risk of creating a massive injustice.”

In March, Judge Edgardo Ramos handed down a time-served sentence for Konstantin Ignatov — the Cryptoqueens brother — after 34 months in prison. He had pleaded guilty to money laundering and fraud charges in 2019.