British sprinter Chijindu Ujah has been charged with conspiracy to defraud over his alleged involvement in an organised cryptocurrency scam, in a dramatic fall for the former world champion. Ujah, 32, was one of ten people arrested as part of a large-scale investigation by Britain's Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU), assisted by Kent Police, City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police.
According to ROCU, the suspects were allegedly part of an organised crime group linked to a scam in which victims were called by people pretending to be police officers and cryptocurrency companies. Victims were reportedly tricked into sharing important security details, including seed phrases, before discovering funds stored in their crypto wallets had been stolen. One victim is alleged to have lost more than £300,000. Ujah appeared at Thanet Magistrates' Court on April 30 charged with conspiracy to defraud, and was bailed to appear at Chelmsford Crown Court alongside nine other defendants. Brandon Mingeli, who represented Great Britain in the 100m at the 2021 European U23 Championships, is also among the suspects.
The case is the latest controversy in a career already marked by scandal. Ujah won 4x100m relay gold at the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London, running the first leg alongside Adam Gemili, Danny Talbot and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, and took silver in the same event at the Tokyo Olympics. That silver medal was later stripped after he tested positive for prohibited substances; he was banned for 22 months, backdated to August 2021, for unintentional use by the Athletics Integrity Unit. He returned to racing with GB in the 2024 world relays but has not raced since April last year.
Ujah did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and governing body British Athletics declined to comment. The charges are allegations at this stage, and the defendants are entitled to a fair trial. But for British athletics, the sight of a former world champion in the dock over an alleged fraud conspiracy is another damaging episode, following a string of doping and integrity scandals that have dogged the sport. The case is expected to proceed through the crown court in the coming months.
The alleged scam followed a familiar pattern that has become one of Britain's fastest-growing fraud types: criminals posing as police officers or crypto firms to trick victims into handing over wallet seed phrases. Action Fraud has repeatedly warned that once cryptocurrency is transferred, it is almost impossible to recover. For Ujah, the charges cap a turbulent period in which a doping ban already cost him an Olympic medal - and a conviction now could end any hope of a return to elite athletics.