CJ Ujah among 10 charged in England crypto wallet fraud

Ten people, including British sprinter Chijindu “CJ” Ujah, were charged with conspiracy to defraud after police say callers posing as officers persuaded cryptocurrency holders to disclose seed phrases and allowed suspects to drain wallets across England. Police executed simultaneous search warrants early on April 29 and all ten defendants appeared at Margate Magistrates’ Court the next day.

The Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) led raids at about 6 a.m. on April 29 across Chelmsford, Enfield, south London and Wakefield. Authorities say the scheme relied on social engineering rather than technical hacking: callers impersonated police officers or representatives of crypto firms and pressured victims to reveal private keys or recovery seed phrases.

Once victims provided a seed phrase or private key, suspects transferred funds out of the wallets, police say. ERSOU reported at least one victim lost £300,000.

Three men were remanded in custody after the initial hearings: Brandon Mingeli, 25, who represented Great Britain at the 2021 European U23 Championships; Jami Durston-McDonnel, 28; and Louis Richards-Miller, 24. The remaining seven defendants, including Ujah, 32, were granted bail. Those bailed are Joseph Umoru, 24; Adedeji Kujore, 24; Abdul-Azeem Taiwo Adeola Yusuf, 24; Abdul-Azeez Kehinde Adeolu Yusuf; Jayden Nakayama, 25; and Samantha Gyabaa, 23. No pleas have been entered. All ten are due to appear at Chelmsford Crown Court on May 28.

Ujah ran on Britain’s 4x100m relay team at the Tokyo Olympics; the team initially won silver but was later stripped of the medal after Ujah received a 22-month ban for testing positive for prohibited substances. He was later cleared of intentional doping and has not competed since 2024.

ERSOU said it received support from Kent Police, the City of London Police, the Metropolitan Police and the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit, with the Wakefield arrest carried out by the Yorkshire unit.

ERSOU advised: “Police will never call asking about crypto holdings, and no real company or officer will request a seed phrase. Anyone receiving such a call should hang up and verify independently by dialing 101 from a separate phone.”

The case is one of several recent prosecutions in England that involve theft of cryptocurrency through coercion or impersonation. Investigations into phone-based social engineering have increased, and authorities warn that fraudsters can bypass many technical safeguards if they obtain seed phrases or private keys.