Famous Ghanaian influencer Mona Faiz Montrage, aka Hajia4Reall, has pleaded guilty in the $2m romance scam case in the United States (U.S.).
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, announced the development, implying that Mona Faiz Montrage knowingly received money stolen from older Americans through romance scams, was arrested abroad and now faces severe consequences for her actions.
Attorney Williams insisted that the scam harmed vulnerable, elderly victims who had to face the harsh reality that their romantic connections online were fake. He added that his office relentlessly brings fraudsters like Montrage who target Americans to justice.
Earlier in May 2023, Hajia4Reall was extradited from the United Kingdom to the United States for her suspected involvement in a $2 million scam known as ‘sakawa’, which targeted older, single Americans.
According to BBC, Pidgin, United States Attorney for The Southern District of New York, and Michael J. Driscoll, the Assistant Director in Charge of The New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, announced a six-count Indictment charge against Hajia4Reall.
Hajia4Reall faces charges including one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of wire fraud, one count of money laundering conspiracy and one count of money laundering – each carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
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