British sprinter and Olympian CJ Ujah appeared in Chelmsford Crown Court on Friday alongside nine other defendants, entering a not guilty plea to charges of conspiracy to defraud following an alleged cryptocurrency scam that prosecutors say targeted multiple victims.
The case centres on a sophisticated telephone deception in which individuals allegedly posed as police officers and cryptocurrency company representatives. According to court details, victims were tricked into disclosing sensitive security details, allowing fraudsters to drain funds directly from their crypto wallets. One victim alone reportedly lost more than £300,000.
The alleged fraud involved phone calls to multiple victims from people purporting to be police officers and cryptocurrency companies. People are reported to have been tricked into sharing important security details before discovering funds stored in their crypto wallets were stolen.
Court Appearance and Coordinated Arrests
The 32-year-old athlete, formally listed in court records as Chijindu Ujah and residing in Enfield, north London, stood before Chelmsford Crown Court alongside eight other defendants to enter his not guilty plea. A tenth defendant, Joseph Umoru, is due to enter his plea at a later date. Another defendant, Brandon Mingeli, denied an additional charge of converting criminal property but admitted to two charges of possessing a false identity document.
The prosecution follows an intensive investigation led by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU), a specialist regional policing organisation tackling serious and organised crime across eastern England. A series of co-ordinated search warrants were carried out across Kent, Essex and London on 29 April as part of an investigation by a specialist regional policing organisation tackling serious and organised crime across eastern England. As a result of an investigation by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU), coordinated search warrants were executed in Kent, Essex, and London on April 29.
Trial Schedule and Legal Timeline
A 12-week trial was set for Chelmsford Crown Court from 24 May next year, with the next court hearing due to be held at the same court on 9 September. A 12-week trial is set to commence at Chelmsford Crown Court from May 24 next year. The next court hearing will be held at the same court on September 9.
The full list of defendants includes: Jami Durston, 28, of Chelmsford, Essex Brandon Mingeli, 25, of Thamesmead, south-east London Louis Richards-Miller, 24, of Greenwich, south-east London Joseph Umoru, 24, of
Athletic Background and Prior Scrutiny
Mr Ujah, now 32-years-old, gained recognition for breaking the 10-second barrier for the 100 metres in 2014. The Enfield-born sprinter clocked 9.96 seconds in 2014. The 32-year-old from Enfield, north London, became the fifth Briton to break the 10-second barrier for the 100m in 2014. He participated in the 4x100m final in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
His athletic career faced severe public scrutiny at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, where he raced in the 4x100m final but tested positive for two banned substances that led to his team being stripped of their silver medal. However, after testing positive for two banned substances, the British team was stripped of their silver medal due to Mr Ujah’s involvement. He was subsequently cleared of intentionally taking prohibited substances, and he was subsequently cleared of intentionally consuming the prohibited substances.
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