Ghanaian Influencer, Mona Faiz Montage, popularly known as Hajia 4Reall pleads guilty to laundering fraud and romance scams.
In a significant development, Mona Faiz Montrage, a prominent Ghanaian influencer known by her Instagram handle “Hajia4Reall,” has pleaded guilty to charges of laundering proceeds from romance scams. The announcement was made today by Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Montrage admitted to conspiring to receive stolen money before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah L. Cave. According to U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, Montrage knowingly received funds obtained through romance scams, targeting vulnerable older individuals in the United States. These scams involved creating fake romantic personas to deceive victims into sending money.
The indictment and court proceedings revealed that Montrage was part of a criminal enterprise based in West Africa, which orchestrated various frauds, including romance scams, from around 2013 to 2019. Victims, often elderly and living alone, were deceived into believing they were in romantic relationships, leading them to transfer money to accounts controlled by the fraudsters.
As a notable figure in Ghana’s social media landscape, Montrage’s Instagram profile amassed approximately 3.4 million followers, making her one of the top influencers in the country. Despite her online fame, she was involved in receiving funds from multiple victims of romance fraud, totaling over $2 million.
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Montrage, aged 31 and residing in Accra, Ghana, faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison for conspiring to receive stolen money. Additionally, she has agreed to forfeit $2,164,758.41 and make restitution in the same amount. Sentencing will be determined by U.S. District Judge Paul A. Crotty.
The successful investigation was credited to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with prosecution led by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit, overseen by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mitzi Steiner and Kevin Mead.