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Ghanaian socialite pleads guilty to romance scam in US court
Ghanaian influencer Hajia4Reall pleads guilty in US romance scam case, faces potential prison time and $2.1 million forfeiture.
Image Credit: Fans Of Queen Mona/Instagram
31-year-old Ghanaian social media influencer Mona Faiz Montrage, popularly known as Hajia4Reall, has entered plea deal with US prosecutors over her involvement in a romance scam.
Hajia4Reall who also doubles as a musician in Ghana was arrested last year while on her way to the United Kingdom for an awards event. She was under arrest in the UK and later extradited to the USA.
As part of the deal, Montrage has agreed to forfeit over US$2.1 million and restitute same to authorities in the United States after pleading to one count of conspiring to receive stolen money from unsuspecting victims, according to U.S laws.
She is currently facing a maximum prison sentence of five years. Her fate will however be sealed after a judge rules on the matter at a later date.
“She also agreed to pay a forfeiture of $2,164,758.41 and make restitution in the same amount. She is set to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Paul A. Crotty at a yet-to-be-determined date,” a statement posted on the website of the Department of Justice (DoJ) read.
On Wednesday February 21, The US Department of Justice (SODNY) issued a statement regarding the development indicting that “Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the guilty plea today of MONA FAIZ MONTRAGE for her role in laundering the proceeds of a series of romance scams.”
Meanwhile, the 31-year-old’s legal team has issued a response to the development via a statement shared on their Instagram page. Hajia4Reall’s Instagram which had over 3 million followers has been deactivated.
The team explained that the musician cum social media influencer voluntarily flew from Heathrow to JFK in May 2023 to face the criminal case in the Southern District of New York.
They add that her guilty plea with the US Court also “does not define her as a person and is not reflective of the individual she is today.”
Ms. Montrage’s team however thanked her fans, family and legal representatives for standing by her through what they allude as a difficult time.
