Thursday, February 22, 2024 – Ghanaian influencer, Mona Faiz Montrage popularly known as Hajia 4Real has pleaded guilty for her role in laundering the proceeds of a series of romance scams.
U.S Department of Justice said she pleaded guilty on
Wednesday, February 21, to conspiracy to receive stolen money before U.S.
Magistrate Judge Sarah L. Cave.
The Indictment and statements made in public filings and
public court proceedings revealed that from 2013 to 2019, Montrage was a member
of a criminal enterprise (the “Enterprise”) based in West Africa that committed
a series of frauds against individuals and businesses in the U.S., including
romance scams.
Many of the Enterprise’s romance scam victims were
vulnerable, older men and women who lived alone. The Enterprise
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 pretenses, 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.
It was also noted that Montrage is a Ghanaian public figure
who rose to fame as an influencer through her Instagram profile under the
username “Hajia4Real,” which at one point had approximately 3.4 million
Instagram followers and was among the top profiles with the most followers in
Ghana.
She received money from several victims of romance
frauds who members of the Enterprise tricked into sending money. Among
the false pretenses used to induce victims to send money to Montrage 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, MONTRAGE controlled bank accounts that received
over $2 million in fraudulent funds from the Enterprise.
The 31-year-old socialite pled guilty to one count of
conspiring to receive stolen money, which carries a maximum sentence of five
years in prison. Montrage also agreed to pay forfeiture in the amount of
$2,164,758.41 and make restitution in the same amount. She is scheduled
to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Paul A. Crotty.
The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by
Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any
sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Commenting on the case, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams
said:
“Mona Faiz Montrage knowingly received money stolen from
older Americans through romance scams and was arrested abroad and now faces
serious consequences for her actions. Romance scams such as Montrage’s
harmed her vulnerable, elderly victims not only in the cruel betrayal of trust
in the realization that their online romantic connection was fiction, but by
also callously stealing their money. This Office and our law enforcement
partners are relentless in bringing fraudsters who target Americans to justice,
no matter where they are.”
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