CJ Ujah appears in court over alleged crypto fraud

British Olympic sprinter CJ Ujah has appeared before a UK court alongside nine other people in connection with an alleged organised cryptocurrency fraud scheme.

The 32-year-old athlete appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on 28 May after prosecutors linked him to a group accused of targeting crypto holders.

Prosecutors alleged that the group operated a scam involving phone calls to victims while pretending to be police officers or representatives of cryptocurrency companies.

The alleged fraud centred on convincing victims to reveal their seed phrases, which can give criminals full access to digital wallets.

Seed phrases act like master keys for crypto wallets, meaning anyone who obtains them can often move funds without the owner’s permission.

Prosecutors claimed the group used the stolen information to drain digital assets from victims’ wallets.

In one alleged case, a victim lost about $403,500, equivalent to around £300,000, after being targeted by the scheme.

Ujah also faces a possible allegation linked to being concerned in the supply of cannabis.

The court appearance marks another difficult chapter for Ujah, who was once one of Britain’s most prominent sprinting talents.

Ujah became only the fifth British sprinter to run the 100 metres in under 10 seconds when he recorded a time of 9.96 seconds roughly 12 years ago.

He later helped Britain win gold in the 4x100-metre relay at the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London.

Ujah also formed part of the British 4x100-metre relay team that finished second at the Tokyo Olympics.

However, the British relay team was later stripped of its Olympic medals after Ujah tested positive for two banned substances.

Ujah was later cleared of intentionally taking prohibited substances, but the doping case still damaged his sporting career.

The sprinter has not competed since April 2025, according to the report.

The latest case has now moved attention away from Ujah’s athletics career and towards the allegations involving crypto fraud.

Prosecutors claim the alleged group used impersonation tactics to gain victims’ trust before extracting sensitive wallet details.

Crypto security experts often warn that users should never share seed phrases with anyone, including people claiming to represent exchanges, wallet providers, or law enforcement.

Four defendants, Brandon Mingeli, Louis Richards-Miller, Joseph Umoru, and Jami Durston, were remanded into custody after the hearing.

The remaining six defendants, including Ujah, were released on bail following their court appearance.

All ten defendants are expected to return to court on 24 July as the case continues.

The allegations remain subject to court proceedings, and the defendants have not been found guilty over the reported crypto fraud claims.