British sprinter CJ Ujah, a world 4x100m relay gold medallist, is among 10 suspects charged with conspiracy to defraud in connection with an alleged cryptocurrency scam. The charges follow an investigation by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit across Kent, Essex and London.
Police allege the suspects were part of an organised crime group that tricked victims into sharing security details, including seed phrases, through phone calls from people posing as police officers and cryptocurrency companies. One victim reportedly lost over £300,000.
Ujah, 32, appeared at Margate Magistrates’ Court last Thursday and was granted bail until the next hearing at Chelmsford Crown Court on 28 May. He 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.
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 result to a contaminated supplement bought on Amazon. The doping violation led to Great Britain being stripped of its 4x100m relay Olympic silver medal.
Fellow sprinter Brandon Mingeli, who represented Great Britain at the 2021 European Under-23 Championships, was also arrested and has been remanded in custody until the crown court hearing.
