British sprinter CJ Ujah among 10 suspects charged over alleged cryptocurrency fraud

The British sprinter CJ Ujah, who won 4x100m relay gold at the 2017 world championships, is one of 10 suspects charged with conspiracy to defraud as part of a police investigation into cryptocurrency fraud.

It is alleged that the suspects were part of an organised crime group linked to a scam involving phone calls to multiple victims, from people purporting to be police officers and cryptocurrency companies.

Police said victims were tricked into sharing important security details, including seed phrases, before discovering funds in their crypto wallets had been stolen. One of the victims is said to have lost more than £300,000.

The arrests and charges were made after an investigation by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit across Kent, Essex and London. All 10 suspects appeared at Margate Magistrates’ Court last Thursday.

Ujah was one of seven granted bail until the next hearing at Chelmsford Crown Court on 28 May.

Now 32, he ran the first leg for the Great Britain relay team in 2017 when they won world championship gold, in what turned out to be Usain Bolt’s last race. That year Ujah, whose personal best for the 100m is 9.96sec, also won the Diamond League title.

In 2022 Ujah was banned for 22 months after testing positive for two prohibited substances – Ostarine and S-23 – at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

However he was cleared of intentionally doping by the Athletics Integrity Unit after it was found that a contaminated beta-alanine supplement – bought off Amazon for £10 during lockdown – had caused the positive test. His doping violation meant Great Britain was stripped of its 4x100m relay Olympic silver medal.

After his ban Ujah reached the 100m semi-finals at the European Athletics Championships in Rome in 2024, but has not raced since April last year.

Brandon Mingeli, who represented Great Britain in the 100m at the 2021 European Under-23 Championships, was also one of the 10 suspects arrested. He has been remanded in custody until the crown court hearing at the end of the month.