British sprinter CJ Ujah pleads not guilty in alleged cryptocurrency fraud case

British sprinter CJ Ujah has denied involvement in an alleged cryptocurrency fraud.

Ujah was one of 10 people who appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court, east of London, on Friday. They are accused of being part of an organised crime group linked to a scam.

The alleged scam involved phone calls to multiple victims from people claiming to be police officers and cryptocurrency companies. Victims are reported to have been deceived into sharing security details before finding that funds in their crypto wallets had been stolen. One alleged victim is said to have lost more than £300,000, or $400,000.

Ujah, whose name appeared in the court list as Chijindu Ujah, pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to defraud. A 12-week trial was set to begin at Chelmsford Crown Court on May 24 next year. The next hearing is scheduled at the same court on September 9.

Ujah, 32, is from Enfield in north London. He became the fifth British man to run 100 metres in under 10 seconds when he recorded 9.96 seconds in 2014. He won 4x100m relay gold at the 2017 world championships in London.

At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Ujah raced in the 4x100m final but tested positive for two banned substances, leading to the British team losing its silver medal. He was later cleared of intentionally taking prohibited substances.