Hajia4Reall Pleads Guilty To Money Laundering In Romance Scam In US, Agrees to Pay Back Over $2m
- Mona Faiz Montrage, popularly known as Hajia4Reall, has admitted guilt in the fraud case against her
- She faces at most five years in jail after she pled guilty to one count of conspiring to receive stolen money
- Hajia4Reall agreed to pay forfeiture for over $2 million and make restitution in the same amount
Singer, actress, and socialite Hajia4Reall has pled guilty in the romance scam case against her.
Hajia4Reall, real name Mona Faiz Montrage, admitted guilt in laundering the proceeds of a series of romance scams.
Source: Instagram
According to the US Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York, she pled guilty on February 21, 2024, to one count of conspiring to receive stolen money.
This charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
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The 31-year-old also agreed to pay forfeiture in the amount of $2,164,758.41 and make restitution in the same amount.
Hajia4Reall is said to have controlled bank accounts that received over $2 million in fraudulent funds.
She was arrested in the UK on November 12, 2022, over alleged fraud.
During the case, she was denied bail because of the severity of her charges and the argument that she was a flight risk.
Hajia4Reall is believed to have been engaged in romance fraud from about 2013 to 2019 as part of a criminal enterprise based in West Africa.
The enterprise is said to have committed a series of frauds against individuals and businesses in the US, including romance scams.
Many romance scam victims were vulnerable, older men and women who lived alone.
How the scam worked
The enterprise frequently conducted romance scams by sending the victims messages that tricked them into believing they were in romantic relationships with a fraudster.
They convinced the victims, under false pretences, to transfer money to fraudulent bank accounts.
Judge involved in fraud case
YEN.com.gh reported that police probed a case in which a judge was named among four people accused of defrauding a Paris-based businesswoman.
The victim, Bire Marie-Dominique, allegedly paid $190,000 into the judge's judge's account to purchase a house.
But when it was time to sign the papers, the judge, who was said to be the house's owner, refused.
The judge has been identified as Justice Charles Edward Ekow Baiden, and the other accused persons are Ahmed Meyaki, Abdul Gafaru and Jari Gardziella.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
