British sprinter and Olympic champion CJ Ujah has denied any involvement in an alleged cryptocurrency scam.
The athlete was among 10 people who appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court accused of being part of an organized crime group linked to fraudulent activities.
The alleged scam involved phone calls to multiple victims from people posing as police officers and cryptocurrency companies.
The 32-year-old from Enfield, north London, became the fifth Briton to break the 10-second barrier in the 100m in 2014.
One of the alleged victims was reported to have lost more than £300,000.
People were reportedly tricked into sharing sensitive security data before discovering that funds stored in their crypto wallets had been stolen.
A series of co-ordinated searches were carried out in Kent, Essex and London on April 29 as part of an investigation by the specialist regional policing organization targeting serious and organized crime in the east of England.
A 12-week trial at Chelmsford Crown Court was scheduled for May 24 next year, with the next hearing due to take place at the same court on September 9.
At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Ujah competed in the 4x100m final but tested positive for two banned substances, causing his team to be stripped of their silver medal.
He was subsequently acquitted of intentional use of prohibited substances.
Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebookexternal, Xexternal And Instagramexternal. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.ukexternal