Ghanaian social media influencer, Hajia4Real pleads guilty to $2m romance scam
Ghanaian singer and social media personality, Mona Faiz Montrage, popularly known as Hajia4Reall has reportedly pleaded guilty to a romance scam and money laundering allegations.
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.
According to federal prosecutors, Montrage, along with a group of con artists from West Africa, engaged in the long-running operation that spanned from 2013 to 2019.
The scammers assumed fake identities and used various communication channels, including emails, texts, and social media messages, to deceive their targets into believing they were in relationships with them.
According to reports, a six-count indictment was issued against Hajia4Real, for her role in several romance schemes and the laundering of the money from those schemes.
Once trust was established, the victims were coerced into transferring money under false pretenses, such as assisting with gold transportation, resolving fictitious FBI investigations, or supporting fake US Army officers in Afghanistan.
One specific case cited in court documents involved Montrage allegedly convincing a victim to send $89,000 through 82 wire transfers, claiming the funds would aid her father’s farm in Ghana.
Prosecutors also alleged that she received money from several other victims who were swindled by scammers within her network.
Adam Cortez, Montrage’s attorney, commented on the limited information available regarding the alleged victims and stated,
“At this time all we know is that there are six alleged victims, and only two dealt with a woman, and only one of them claims that he dealt with Ms. Montrage.”
Cortez indicated that he would require additional information and evidence from the prosecutors before providing further comment on the case.
However, on February 21, 2024, Hajia4Real reportedly pleaded guilty to a romance scam and may face up to 5 years in prison.
The United States Attorney’s Office website says the socialite pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to receive stolen money. This charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Hajia4Real, a few days prior to her guilty plea, had already deleted all the content on her page.
However, following the news, many fans noticed they were not only unable to access the content on her page but clicking on her page came with a notice informing them the page had been removed.
Meanwhile, Hajia4Reall also agreed to pay forfeiture for $2,164,758.41 and make restitution in the same amount.
She is currently awaiting judgment.
It is also worthy to note that on June 26, 2023, she 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.
“There is time for everything, and the world will come to know the truth, and my story will be heard,” she wrote in the caption.
