Romance Scam: Ghanaian Influencer Hajia4real Extradited To The United States For Allegedly Cheating On A $2 Million Romance

 

Popular Ghanaian social media influencer Mona Faiz Montrage, alias Hajiatreal, was extradited from the UK to the US for allegedly defrauding older, lonely Americans out of over $2 million in a romance scam.

Montrage was detained in the UK on November 10, 2022, and extradited from the UK on May 12, 2023, according to a statement from the US attorney's office on Monday, May 15.

On Monday, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams announced the defendant's arraignment before U.S. District Judge Paul A. Crotty.

"As alleged, Mona Faiz Montrage was a member of a criminal conspiracy that specifically targeted older Americans through romance scams

"These scams can be both financially and emotionally devastating for vulnerable victims. Thanks to the efforts of our law enforcement partners, Montrage was arrested abroad and has been brought to the United States to face justice."

"From at least 2013 through 2019, Montrage was allegedly involved with a group of con artists from West Africa that committed a series of frauds against individuals and businesses in the United States, including romance scams.

"Many of the Enterprise's romance scam victims were vulnerable, older men and women who lived alone. The Enterprise frequently conducted the romance scams by sending the victims emails, text messages, and social media messages that."

After successfully persuading victims to believe they were in a romantic relationship and earning their trust, members of the Enterprise persuaded the victims to transfer money under false pretenses to bank accounts they mistakenly thought were controlled by their romantic interests when, in reality, the bank accounts were under the control of members of the Enterprise.

Several victims of romance frauds who were duped into sending money by Enterprise members gave money to Montrage.

In her phone conversations with one victim, Montrage used the victim's real name and addressed her by name. She claimed to have married the victim in Ghana by sending her a traditional marriage certificate, which she sent to the victim. About 82 wire transfers worth a total of about $89,000 were made to the victim by the offender to ostensibly cover expenses for her father's farm in Ghana.

In total, Montrage was in charge of bank accounts that the Enterprise used to launder more than $2 million in fraudulent money, according to the statement.

A maximum term of 20 years in prison is imposed on each of the charges against the 30-year-old: one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of actual wire fraud, one count of actual money laundering, and one crime of actual money laundering.

She is also charged with one crime of receiving stolen property, which has a maximum 10-year jail sentence, and one count of conspiring to receive stolen property, which carries a maximum 5-year prison sentence.