OneCoin lawyer gets bail pending appeal of trial and 10-year sentence
Mark Scott, a lawyer linked to the OneCoin crypto scheme who was recently charged with fraud and money laundering, has been granted bail pending an appeal.
On April 18, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Judge Edgardo Ramos approved bail for Scott, three months after sentencing the lawyer to 10 years in prison. A portion of the court filing was redacted regarding Scott's health issues, with the legal team arguing he did not pose a flight risk.
“Based on the record presented to the court, given Scott's medical condition and the fact that he has not been charged with a violent crime, the court does not find that Scott is likely to flee or pose a risk to the safety of another person or the community.” If they are allowed to remain on bail,” said Judge Ramos.
In the year Scott's legal team said Konstantin Ignatov – brother of Ruja “CryptoQueen” Ignatova and the leader of the OneCoin scheme – had perjured himself, but prosecutors still used his testimony in their case.
“[T]The court believes it is doubtful whether Scott will receive a reversal or a new trial on both counts, the judge said. But the court cannot say that the questions are frivolous. And they are sufficiently relevant to Scott's conviction that he may seek reversal or a new trial on the charges on which he was convicted.
Related: OneCoin: A deep dive into crypto's most notorious Ponzi scheme
In the year In November 2019, a jury convicted Scott of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and money laundering for his role in laundering millions of dollars through OneCoin. The lawyer registered the funds on the instructions of OneCoin co-founder Ruja Ignatova, who remained at the time of publication.
OneCoin founder Carl Sebastian Greenwood was sentenced to 20 years in September 2023 for fraud and money laundering and ordered to pay $300 million in restitution to OneCoin victims. Former OneCoin Chief Compliance Officer Irenia Dilkinska pleaded guilty to two felony charges and was sentenced to four years in prison on April 3.
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