Olympic Sprinter CJ Ujah Charged in Alleged Crypto Wallet Fraud

British sprinter CJ Ujah has been charged in the United Kingdom in connection with an alleged cryptocurrency fraud case involving a group of 10 people.

According to a report by The Guardian, the suspects were arrested after coordinated operations by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit. All appeared at Margate Magistrates’ Court last Thursday.

Ujah, aged 32, was later released on bail and is expected to appear before Chelmsford Crown Court on May 28, 2026, alongside six others, while one suspect remains in custody.

How the alleged scam worked

Police allege the group operated by pretending to be law enforcement officers and employees of cryptocurrency companies. The victims were reportedly contacted by phone and pressured into sharing sensitive security information linked to their digital wallets. 

Once this information was obtained, funds were allegedly drained from victims’ wallets without their knowledge. In one case, a victim is said to have lost more than £300,000.

“It is alleged the suspects were part of an organised crime group linked to a scam which involved phone calls to multiple victims, from people purporting to be police officers and cryptocurrency companies,” the Regional Organised Crime Unit Network (ROCU) stated. The agency added that victims only found out they had been tricked after their money had already disappeared from their wallets.

Alongside Ujah, another athlete, Brandon Mingeli, who previously represented Great Britain in the 100m at the 2021 European Under-23 Championships, was also arrested. Mingeli has been remanded in custody until the next court hearing.

CJ Ujah’s career in athletics

CJ Ujah is known in athletics for his sprinting career. He was part of the Great Britain 4x100m relay team that won gold at the 2017 World Athletics Championships. The race was also famous because it was Usain Bolt’s last major race.

Ujah recorded a personal best of 9.96 seconds in the 100m in 2014 and has won major relay titles, including European championships and Diamond League success.

His career also faced setbacks. In 2022, Ujah was banned for 22 months after testing positive for banned substances during the Tokyo Olympics. Later investigations showed the result came from a contaminated supplement he had bought online, and he was cleared of intentional doping. Even so, the case caused Great Britain to lose its Olympic silver medal in the 4x100m relay.

After serving his ban, he returned to competition in 2024 and reached the semi-finals at the European Athletics Championships in Rome. However, records show he has not competed since April last year.

The investigation is still ongoing, and the court process will continue when the case returns to Chelmsford Crown Court in May 2026.

Past similar cases and ongoing global crackdown

A similar case happened last year in August when authorities arrested a scammer for posing as a senior UK police officer. This scammer allegedly stole about $2.8 million before the authorities got hold of him. 

Authorities at the time confirmed that the victim was tricked into releasing their seed phrase, which gave the scammer access to their wallet. 

Law enforcement agencies have since expanded international cooperation to combat crypto-related phishing and impersonation scams. A joint initiative launched in March focuses on identifying fraud networks, prosecuting offenders, and educating the public about protecting wallet credentials and seed phrases.

Also Read: Crypto Scam Losses in India Surpassed ₹3 Cr in the 1st Week of May 2026