British Olympic sprinter in court over alleged cryptocurrency scam

British sprinter and Olympian has been charged with belonging to an organised crime group running a cryptocurrency scam.

CJ Ujah, who represented Team GB at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, is also accused of supplying cannabis.

He is among 10 defendants that appeared before Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday, charged with running the elaborate scam.

It involved phone calls to multiple victims from people purporting to be police officers and cryptocurrency companies, prosecutors claim.

Victims are reported to have been tricked into sharing important security details 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 crown court indictment stated that Ujah also faces a charge of being concerned in the supply of cannabis on April 29.

Read more from Sky News:
Students 'misled' over uni loans
Fertility rate falls to record low

The 10 defendants are all charged with conspiracy to defraud, the Regional Organised Crime Unit Network said.

None of the defendants were asked to enter a plea at Thursday's hearing, and they are next due to appear before Chelmsford Crown Court on 24 July.

Ujah, of Enfield, north London, became only 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.

(c) Sky News 2026: British Olympic sprinter in court over alleged cryptocurrency scam