Ghanaian social media influencer Mona Faiz Montrage, widely known as Hajia 4Real, has entered a guilty plea for her involvement in the money laundering activities associated with a series of romance scams.
The U.S. Department of Justice confirmed her guilty plea on Wednesday, February 21, for conspiring to receive stolen money before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah L. Cave.
According to the indictment and public court statements, from 2013 to 2019, Montrage was a part of a criminal enterprise based in West Africa, involved in various frauds, including romance scams targeting individuals and businesses in the U.S.
Many victims of these scams were vulnerable, elderly individuals living alone. The enterprise would use deceptive means such as emails, text messages, and social media to create fake romantic relationships, ultimately persuading victims to transfer money to accounts they believed were controlled by their supposed romantic partners.
Montrage, a well-known Ghanaian public figure and influencer with a significant Instagram following, received money from victims of these scams. The false pretenses included payments for transporting gold, resolving fake FBI investigations, and aiding a fabricated U.S. Army officer in receiving funds from Afghanistan.
In total, Montrage’s bank accounts received over $2 million in fraudulent funds from the criminal enterprise.
The 31-year-old socialite pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to receive stolen money, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Additionally, she agreed to forfeit $2,164,758.41 and make restitution in the same amount. The sentencing will be determined by U.S. District Judge Paul A. Crotty at a later date.
The maximum potential sentence is provided for informational purposes only, as the actual sentencing is at the discretion of 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.”
