Olympic sprinter CJ Ujah accused of crypto fraud

British sprinter and Olympian CJ Ujah is among 10 people accused of cryptocurrency fraud and also faces a separate charge of supplying cannabis.

The group appeared before Chelmsford Crown Court facing allegations they were part of an organised crime scam involving phone calls to victims from people purporting to be police officers or cryptocurrency companies.

Victims are reported to have been tricked into sharing important security details before discovering funds stored in their crypto wallets had been stolen.

One is alleged to have lost more than £300,000.

The 32-year-old athlete, of Enfield, north London, became the fifth Briton to break the 10-second barrier for the 100 metres, running 9.96 seconds in 2014.

He won 4x100m relay gold at the World Championships in London in 2017.

At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, he raced in the 4x100m final but tested positive for two banned substances which led to his team being stripped of their silver medal.

He was subsequently cleared of intentionally taking prohibited substances.

The other defendants are:

• Brandon Mingeli, 25, of Thamesmead, south-east London, who also faces two counts of possession of a false identity document
• Louis Richards-Miller, 24, of Greenwich, south-east London
• Taiwo Yusuf, 24, from Greenwich
• Kehinde Yusuf, 24, from Greenwich
• Jayden Nakayama, 25, from Greenwich
• Joseph Umoru, 24, of Abbey Wood, south-east London
• Adedeji Kujore, 24, of Erith, Kent
• Samantha Gyabaa, 23, of Hackney, east London
• Jami Durston, 28, of Chelmsford, Essex

Mingeli, Richards-Miller, Umoru and Durston were remanded into custody, while the other six defendants were bailed.

None of the defendants were asked to enter pleas at Thursday's hearing, and they are next due at the same court on 24 July.

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