Cryptoqueen: Adviser to missing fugitive disappears
BBC By Rob Byrne
BBC News
An FBI-wanted former spy and trusted adviser to the fugitive "Missing Cryptoqueen" has disappeared.
Frank Schneider, 53, was under house arrest in France awaiting extradition to the US.
But like his former boss Ruja Ignatova, he has gone missing before facing US justice.
He faces a maximum of 40 years in prison on fraud and money laundering charges for his alleged role in a $4bn (3.2bn) cryptocurrency scam.
French authorities confirmed to the BBC that Mr Schneider, who was fitted with an ankle tag, had evaded his electronic surveillance.
Nancy's Court of Appeal issued a fresh warrant for his arrest on 16 May, meaning his whereabouts have been unknown for more than three weeks.
Neither Mr Schneider, his wife, or his lawyers could be reached by the BBC.
He worked as a troubleshooter for Miss Ignatova, architect of the OneCoin crypto scam. As investigators closed in on her, she boarded a Ryanair flight from Sofia to Athens in 2017, never to be seen again. The FBI is offering a $500,000 (400,000) reward for information leading to her arrest.
