Hajia4real: First Ghanaian musician to be arrested for ‘scam’; are there more?
A Ghanaian social media influencer and musician Hajia4real has been extradited from the United Kingdom to the US for allegedly swindling over $2 million from older, single American men and women in a twisted lonely hearts scam, federal prosecutors said Monday.
This makes her the first Ghanaian musician and socialite in recent history to be arrested for fraud.
Many Ghanaian socialites and musicians just like Hajia4real have questionable source of income especially when the extravagant life they live is put on display.
Mona4real’s arrest seem to have given credence to the popularity of scamming among Ghanaian musician and socialites
The question now on the mind of many is, which other musician or socialite or influencer is involved in similar merchandise?
Mona Faiz Montrage (popularly known as Hajia 4Reall), 30, of Accra, Ghana, appeared in Manhattan federal court Monday for her alleged involvement in a series of romance schemes targeting older people who lived alone, prosecutors said.
She pleaded not guilty to the charges and is set to be released in the coming days on $500,000 bond with GPS tracking via an ankle monitor, her lawyer confirmed.
In total, Montrage netted $2 million in funds the group ripped off from victims to bank accounts she had in the Bronx and elsewhere, including one opened in the name of 4Reall Designs, a supposed clothing company.
She then allegedly laundered the stolen money to other members of the enterprise, the indictment charges.
MONTRAGE, 30, of Accra, Ghana, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of wire fraud, one count of money laundering conspiracy, and one count of money laundering, each of which carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. MONTRAGE is also charged with one count of receipt of stolen money, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and one count of conspiracy to receive stolen money, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of MONTRAGE will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the FBI. Mr. Williams also thanked the United States Marshals Services, the National Extradition Unit, United States Customs and Border Protection, and the FBI Legal Attaché in London for their assistance in the investigation. The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs of the Department’s Criminal Division provided significant assistance in securing the defendant’s extradition from the United Kingdom.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mitzi Steiner and Kevin Mead are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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