By Simon Asare
Accra, June 29, GNA – Ghanaian socialite and musician Mona Faiz Montrage, popularly known as Hajia 4Reall, has received a one-year and a day prison sentence following the conclusion of her romance scam trial in the United States of America (USA).
Hajia 4Real had earlier pleaded guilty for her role in laundering the proceeds of a series of romance scams, with U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken giving his judgement on Friday, June 28, 2024.
Judge Oetken meted out the one-year and one-day sentence to the Ghanaian influencer, allowing her the possibility of “good time” credit, which could reduce her sentence to a few days.
Hajia 4Reall was arrested in the United Kingdom in November 2022 and was extradited to the USA, where she faced a six-count indictment for her role in a series of romance schemes.
Following her guilty plea, Hajia 4Reall agreed to pay over $2.1 million to her victims in forfeiture and restitution.
“I want to pay them back. I feel shame as a mother of an eight-year-old daughter. Please have mercy on me,” she said.
Another revelation during the trail was when Hajia 4Reall mentioned the father of her daughter as the one who introduced her to internet fraud.
After the sentence, Hajia 4Real’s defence requested that she be allowed to come back to Ghana after serving her sentence to avoid detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The prosecution, led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mitzi Steiner and Kevin Maed, agreed to their request.
GNA