British sprinter CJ Ujah, a world 4x100m relay gold medallist, is among 10 suspects charged with conspiracy to defraud as part of a police investigation into an alleged cryptocurrency scam. The 32-year-old has been bailed until a court hearing on 28 May.
Police allege the suspects were part of an organised crime group that tricked victims into sharing security details, including seed phrases, through phone calls purporting to be from police officers and cryptocurrency companies. One victim is said to have lost more than £300,000.
The charges follow an investigation by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit across Kent, Essex and London. All 10 suspects appeared at Margate Magistrates’ Court last Thursday, with seven granted bail. Fellow sprinter Brandon Mingeli, who represented Great Britain at the 2021 European Under-23 Championships, was remanded in custody.
Ujah won world championship gold in 2017, running the first leg in Usain Bolt’s final race, and also claimed the Diamond League title that year. His personal best for the 100m is 9.96 seconds.
In 2022, Ujah received a 22-month ban after testing positive for two prohibited substances at the Tokyo Olympics. The Athletics Integrity Unit cleared him of intentional doping, attributing the positive test to a contaminated beta-alanine supplement bought on Amazon. The violation led to Great Britain being stripped of its 4x100m relay Olympic silver medal.
After his ban, Ujah reached the 100m semi-finals at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome but has not competed since April 2024. The next hearing for the fraud case is scheduled at Chelmsford Crown Court on 28 May.
