Featured Image Credit: Getty Images
Topics: Usain Bolt, Athletics
Ryan Baldi
Usain Bolt is one of the most successful and marketable athletes of all time, but his fortune took a serious dent when he was the victim of banking scam in 2023.
The Jamaican sprint king won eight Olympic gold medals and 11 world championship golds during his illustrious career.
And the 38-year-old from Sherwood Content, who retired in 2017, still holds the world records in his two primary events, the 100m and 200m.
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Bolt has had major endorsement deals with Puma, Gatorade, Visa, Hublot and Virgin Media, and post-retirement the former sprinter has shown an entrepreneurial streak, founding a mobility scooter manufacturer and a razor company.
He also tried to segue into a career as a professional footballer, earning trials with Borussia Dortmund and South African side Mamelodi Sundowns, before being offered a contract by the Central Coast Mariners, although his wage demands proved to be beyond the means of the Australian club.
As of 2025, Bolt is estimated to have a net worth of around US$90 million.
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But it 2023, the Jamaican superstar was one of a number of investors defrauded in a scam targeting the customers of Kingston-based investment firm Stocks and Securities. The Olympic champion reportedly lost over $12 million, leaving him with just $12,000 in the account. The Jamaican authorities enlisted the help of the FBI to try and recover the stolen funds.
“It’s distressful news for anyone,” Bolt's lawyer, Linton P. Gordon, told Fortune at the time. “And certainly in the case of Mr. Bolt, who established this account as part of his private pension.”
Speaking on a recent episode of the Meet the Mitchells podcast, Bolt discussed the issue.
"Banking is supposed to be one of the secure things in the world," he said. "When someone takes that amount of money and nobody notices.
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"We aren't really hearing much and can't say there is any progress being made."