Hajia4Real, a well-known socialite and musician from Ghana, admitted guilt in a romance scam case and agreed to pay the US government more than $4 million.
Hajia4Reall, whose real name is Mona Faiz Montrage, entered a guilty plea to charges related to her involvement in the money laundering of several romance scams.
The Southern District of New York U.S. Attorney made this announcement on Wednesday, February 21, 2024.
“MONTRAGE pled guilty today to conspiracy to receive stolen money before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah L. Cave,” according to an official report from U.S. Attorney Damian Williams.
The US Attorney clarified that “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”.
He continued
Hajia4Real also consented, according to the official report, to pay forfeiture of $2,164,758.41 and make restitution of the same sum.
This indicates that the well-known socialite is forfeiting the proceeds of her crime to the United States authorities and is paying a total of $4,329,516.82, of which $2,164,758.41 is going to the victims.
Paul A. Crotty, the U.S. District Judge, will sentence her.
