British sprinter and former world champion CJ Ujah has been arrested and charged as part of an investigation into an alleged cryptocurrency fraud.
The Regional Organised Crime Unit Network (ROCU) said Ujah was one of 10 people arrested and charged with conspiracy to defraud after an investigation across Kent, Essex and London.
The suspects were brought before Margate Magistrates’ Court on 30 April, with Ujah, the former two-time British 100m champion, one of seven people bailed to attend a court hearing at Chelmsford Crown Court on 28 May.
The ROCU said: “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.
“Victims are reported to have been tricked into sharing important security details, including seed phrases, before discovering funds stored in their crypto wallets had been stolen.”
One of the victims is alleged to have lost more than £300,000, the statement added.
Brandon Mingeli, who represented Great Britain in the under-23 European Championships in 2021, running the 100m, was also arrested. He was remanded in custody until the hearing on 28 May.
Ujah was a 4x100m relay world champion in 2017 and European relay champion in 2016 and 2018.
The 32-year-old was banned for 22 months for a doping violation at the Tokyo Olympics, which led to Britain’s relay team being stripped of their silver medal, but he was cleared of doping intentionally.
After returning from his ban Ujah reached the 100m semi-finals at the European Championships in Rome in 2024, but he has not raced since April last year.
Ujah did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. Governing body British Athletics declined to comment.
Additional reporting by Reuters
