Hajia 4 Reall was deported from the UK to the US on charges that she conned elderly, lonely Americans out of more than $2 million in a sickening lonely hearts scam.
The Ghanaian social media influencer, actual name Mona Faiz Montrage, reportedly appeared in federal court in Manhattan on Monday for her suspected involvement in many romantic frauds, according to information from Federal prosecutors.
The indictment claims that Hajia 4 Reall specifically targeted elderly and single Americans who were living alone with their romance fraud.
According to information obtained by pulse.com.gh, "she entered a not-guilty plea to the allegations and according to her attorney, she will be released in the coming days on a $500,000 bond with GPS monitoring via an ankle monitor."
Prosecutors claim that between at least 2013 and 2019, Hajia 4Reall collaborated with a gang of con artists from West Africa who used emails, SMS, and social media posts to deceive individuals into believing they were in relationships with them.
"The scammers would then persuade the victims to transfer money to them under false pretenses," the authorities continue, citing payments made to fictitious US Army officials in Afghanistan and efforts to bring gold into the US from abroad as examples.
According to court filings, Montrage reportedly conned a victim into transferring her $89,000 over 82 wire transfers under the guise of assisting her father's farm in Ghana.
After many phone conversations using her true name, she sent them a tribal marriage certificate to deceive them into thinking the two were married, the complaint claims.
"As alleged, Mona Faiz Montrage was a member of a criminal conspiracy that specifically targeted older Americans through romance scams," stated Manhattan US Attorney Damian Williams in a statement. For helpless victims, these schemes can have catastrophic financial and emotional effects.
The statement added, "Thanks to the efforts of our law enforcement partners, Montrage was apprehended abroad and brought to the United States to face justice."
On November 10, 2022, Hajia 4Reall was detained in the UK for the alleged plot and extradited to the US on Friday. She is currently facing charges for conspiracy, money laundering, receiving stolen property, and wire fraud. If found guilty on the main offense, she may spend up to 20 years in jail.
The Post quoted Adam Cortez, Montrage's attorney, as saying: "At this time, all we know is that there are six alleged victims, only two dealt with a woman, and only one of them claims that he dealt with Ms. Montrage."
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