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CJ Ujah, the British sprinter who already lost an Olympic silver medal to a doping violation, now faces criminal charges in an alleged cryptocurrency fraud scheme. UK police have charged the 32-year-old with involvement in an organized crime group that targeted crypto holders through seed phrase theft and impersonation calls.

At least one victim lost more than ￡300,000 in the scheme. Ujah has been released on bail, with his next court appearance scheduled for May 28, 2026, at Chelmsford Crown Court.

From the track to the courtroom

Ujah was part of Great Britain’s 4x100m relay team at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where the squad earned a silver medal. That medal was stripped in February 2022 after Ujah tested positive for Ostarine, a selective androgen receptor modulator banned under anti-doping rules.

The charges connect Ujah to a suspected organized crime group operating in southern England that specialized in cryptocurrency thefts. Members of the group would place fraudulent calls to crypto holders, impersonating support staff or even family members, with the goal of extracting wallet seed phrases—those 12- or 24-word recovery keys that serve as the master password to a self-custody crypto wallet.

A growing epidemic in the UK

According to FCA data, seed phrase theft through fraudulent calls accounted for roughly 20% of UK crypto thefts in 2025. The total estimated losses from crypto thefts across the UK hit ￡500 million in 2025.

What this means for crypto holders and regulators

The UK is currently finalizing crypto promotion rules under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023. Cases like this one, where victims suffer six-figure losses through relatively simple deception, strengthen the argument for more aggressive consumer protection measures.

The Ujah case is notable for its headline value, but the underlying pattern is what matters. Organized groups are systematically targeting self-custody users in the UK, the losses are substantial, and the current regulatory framework hasn’t caught up. Whether Ujah is ultimately convicted or acquitted, the ￡300,000 that one victim lost isn’t coming back.

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