Olympic Sprinter Can’t Outrun Charges in UK Crypto Fraud Investigation

British sprinter CJ Ujah has been charged in Britain for his alleged role in a cryptocurrency fraud operation that police say targeted victims through impersonation scams designed to steal money from crypto wallets.

On Thursday, Britain’s regional organized crime units (ROCUs) said Ten people were charged with conspiracy to defraud following co-ordinated raids in Kent, Essex, London and Wakefield on April 29.

“It is alleged that the suspects were part of an organized crime group linked to a scam involving calls to multiple victims, from people posing as police officers and cryptocurrency companies,” the agency said in a statement.

Police said victims were tricked into sharing seed phrases and other private wallet recovery details before discovering their cryptocurrency had been stolen. Although British authorities did not mention which crypto assets were stolen, one victim reportedly lost more than £300,000.

Seed phrases function as recovery keys for many cryptocurrency wallets. Anyone with access to the phrase can restore the wallet and transfer the funds, making it a frequent target for phishing and impersonation.

All ten suspects appeared in court on April 30. Three people, including British athlete Brandon Mingeli, were held in custody until their next court hearing on May 28. The other seven suspects, including Ujah, were released on bail.

Ujah rose to prominence by helping Great Britain win gold in the 4x100m relay at the 2017 World Championships in what would be Usain Bolt’s final race. He was later given a 22-month ban after testing positive for banned substances at the Tokyo Olympics, costing the team its relay silver medal. Athletics authorities later ruled that contaminated supplements caused the failed test. He returned to competition in 2024 but has not raced since April 2025.

Crypto scams have increasingly shifted to social engineering and phishing schemes that trick victims into voluntarily giving up access to their wallets or transferring money. Blockchain security firm Scam Sniffer said nearly 4,700 wallets were emptied by signature phishing attacks in January alone. In April, Elon Musk’s X introduced new features to stop crypto-related crimes on the site.

British police warned citizens to be careful of unexpected calls or messages asking for wallet information.

“The police will never call you unexpectedly about your crypto or ask you to access your cold storage devices – this is a big red flag,” authorities wrote. “No legitimate company or police officer will ever ask for your cum sentence.”