Popular Ghanaian influencer, Mona Faiz Montrage, widely known as Hajia4Reall, has admitted guilt in a $2 million romance scam case, according to the United States Attorney’s Office.
Hajia4Reall pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to receive stolen money, a charge carrying a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Additionally, she has agreed to forfeit $2,164,758.41 and make restitution in the same amount. Her sentencing is scheduled to be conducted by U.S. District Judge, Paul A. Crotty, at a later date.
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, disclosed the guilty plea, emphasizing the seriousness of the crime.
Williams highlighted that Mona Faiz Montrage knowingly accepted money stolen from older Americans through romance scams, and as a consequence, she faces significant legal ramifications.
He underscored the impact of the scam on vulnerable elderly victims who were deceived into believing they had genuine romantic connections online, only to realize they were duped.
The case underscores the prevalence and seriousness of online scams, particularly those targeting vulnerable populations. Mona Faiz Montrage’s admission of guilt serves as a warning about the dangers of engaging in fraudulent activities online and the severe consequences that follow.
“This Office and our law enforcement partners are relentless in bringing fraudsters who target Americans to justice, no matter where they are,” the Attorney added.
Throwback
Hajia4Reall was extradited to the United States from the United Kingdom over her alleged involvement in a $2 million romance scam locally called ‘sakawa’ targeting older, single Americans, in May 2023.
Prosecutors said she was charged with conspiracy to commit and committing wire fraud and money laundering, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment.
She was also charged with receipt of stolen money, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail, and conspiracy to receive stolen money, with a maximum of five years.
According to the prosecution, from at least in/or about 2013 through in/or about 2019, the Influencer was a member of a Criminal Enterprise based in Ghana that committed a series of frauds against individuals and businesses in the United States.
The Enterprise, they indicated, frequently conducted the romance scams by sending the victims emails, text messages, and social media messages that deceived the victims into believing that they were in romantic relationships with a person who was, in fact, a fake identity assumed by members of the Enterprise.
Once members of the Enterprise had successfully convinced victims that they were in a romantic relationship and had gained their trust, they convinced the victims, under false pretences, to transfer money to bank accounts the victims believed were controlled by their romantic interests, when, in fact, the bank accounts were controlled by members of the Enterprise.
The prosecution noted that Hajia4Reall received money from several victims of romance frauds whom members of the Enterprise tricked into sending money.
Among the false pretences used to induce victims to send money to Hajia4Reall were payments to transport gold to the U.S. from overseas payments to resolve a fake FBI investigation, and payments to assist a fake U.S. Army officer in receiving funds from Afghanistan.
In total, Hajia4Reall controlled bank accounts that received over $2 million in fraudulent funds from the Enterprise.
However, the socialite initially pleaded not guilty to all charges in May 2023 and was later released on bail.
In June 2023, the musician reiterated her innocence in a now-deleted post on Instagram. She expressed appreciation to her fans for “your love and prayers showed to me during these difficult times.”
She added that it is only a matter of time before she is vindicated.
