Ghanaian social media personality, Mona Faiz Montrage, has agreed to pay over $4 million to the American authorities after pleading guilty in a romance scam case.
The socialite, popularly known as Hajia4Reall, pleaded guilty to laundering the proceeds of a series of romance scams.
The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, announced the guilty plea on Wednesday, February 21, 2024.
Attorney 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.”
He insisted that the romance scam harmed vulnerable, elderly victims who had to face the tough reality that their romantic connections online were fake.
“This office and our law enforcement partners are relentless in bringing fraudsters who target Americans to justice, no matter where they are,” the Attorney added.
The official report also says that Hajia4Real agreed to pay forfeiture for $2,164,758.41 and make restitution in the same amount.
This means the popular socialite is paying $4,329,516.82 in total, $2,164,758.41 to the victims and will pay the same amount to the U.S. authorities as forfeiture of the proceeds of her crime.
It will be recalled that 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.
Prosecutors said she was charged with conspiracy to commit and committing wire fraud and money laundering, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment.
She was also charged with receipt of stolen money, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail, and conspiracy to receive stolen money, with a maximum of five years.