British sprinter and Olympian CJ Ujah is among 10 defendants who appeared before a court accused of playing a part in an alleged cryptocurrency fraud.
The athlete is also solely charged with being concerned in the supply of cannabis on April 29 this year, according to the crown court indictment.
The 10 appeared before Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday after it was alleged they were part of an organised crime group linked to a scam.
The scam was said to have involved phone calls to multiple victims from people purporting to be police officers and cryptocurrency companies.
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.
A series of coordinated search warrants were carried out across Kent, Essex and London on April 29 as part of an investigation by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU).
The 10 defendants are all charged with conspiracy to defraud, the Regional Organised Crime Unit Network said.
The crown court indictment stated that Ujah also faces a charge of being concerned in the supply of cannabis on April 29.
The judge instructed that count be severed and dealt with in proceedings separate to the cryptocurrency fraud allegations.
One of the other defendants, Brandon Mingeli, also faces two counts of possession of a false identity document.
None of the defendants were asked to enter pleas at Thursday’s hearing, and they are next due to appear before Chelmsford Crown Court on July 24.
Judge Mary Loram was told that a trial in the case could last for around three months, with no date or venue yet set.
The defendants include sprinter Ujah, whose name appeared in the court list as Chijindu Ujah.
He raised his hand when asked by the court clerk to confirm his identity, as he sat in the dock alongside five of his co-defendants, with the other four appearing by prison videolink.
The 32-year-old, 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 but tested positive for two banned substances which led to his team being stripped of their silver medal.
He was subsequently cleared of intentionally taking prohibited substances.
The other defendants are Brandon Mingeli, 25, of Thamesmead, south-east London; Louis Richards-Miller, 24, of Greenwich, south-east London; Joseph Umoru, 24, of Abbey Wood, south-east London; Adedeji Kujore, 24, of Erith, Kent; Taiwo Yusuf, 24, Kehinde Yusuf, 24, Jayden Nakayama, 25 – all from Greenwich; Samantha Gyabaa, 23, of Hackney, east London; and Jami Durston, 28, of Chelmsford, Essex.
Mingeli, Richards-Miller, Umoru and Durston were remanded into custody, while the other six defendants were bailed.
