Hajia 4Reall has been sentenced to one year and a day in prison for participating in an in romance scam after an intense court proceeding.
The court presiding the case on Friday, June 28th, emphasised that Hajia 4 Real’s offences carry a jail time range of 37 to 46 months according to sentencing guidelines.
The Assistant US Attorney (AUSA), presented the prosecution’s case emphasising the victims’ vulnerability after being duped into sending money that they later lost through false marriage promises.
The evidence also revealed that middlemen involved in the scheme received a 10% cut of the money.
The AUSA elaborates on Hajia 4Real, whose real name is Mona Faiz Montrage’s role in the fraud, stating that her romantic scam lasted six years and resulted in 32 victims losing $1.4 million.
According to the judge, Ms. Montrage reinvented herself in Ghana once they became aware of her fraudulent activities.
In response to the allegations, she attributed her behaviour on an aggressive former boyfriend, causing the AUSA to point out that her ex had been jailed and deported, but she (Ms. Montrage) continued her fraudulent activity.
The prosecutor also stated that one victim had confronted her straight following the acts.
The judge indicated that Ms. Montrage would be deported after her sentence, but her lawyer whose name is Ms. Eleanor Fast of ‘The Fast Law Firm PC proposed for a three-month sentence instead.
According to her lawyer, she was unaware that the money that was put into her accounts were from a romance fraud.
The judge then pointed out that she (Hajia 4Reall) had opened various bank accounts, indicating that she was aware and intended to do so.
The defense revealed that, Ms Montrage had never previously disclosed the abuse by her ex-boyfriend.
In her own statement, Hajia 4Reall expressed a desire to repay the victims and plead for mercy citing the shame she felt as mother to her 8-year-old daughter.
The AUSA responds by stating that Ms. Montrage had started opening bank accounts at different banks early on in the scheme which gained public attention suggesting that a general deference was necessary.
How Hajia 4 Reall Was Arrested And Sentenced After Scam
A victim referred to as Victim-1 manager to track Ms. Montrage through her instagram photos, according to court documents.
Victim was ‘catfished’ with a video of Hajia 4Real being dubbed over to deceive him further.
The Judge concluded by sentencing Hajia4Reall to one year and one day in prison allowing for good time credit.
The defense proposed that she should allowed to fly back to Ghana immediately upon her release without ICE detention to which the AUSA consented.
The court was then adjourned, according to report by USA-based investigative news outlet Inner City Press.
