The New York Post was among the first American portals to carry the story of the extradition of Ghanaian social media influencer, Mona Faiz Montrage, also known as Hajia4Reall.
The portal revealed that she had been extradited from the United Kingdom to the US for allegedly swindling over $2 million from older, single American men and women in a romance scam.
Hajia4Reall is said to have appeared in a Manhattan federal court on Monday, May 15, 2023, for her alleged involvement in a series of schemes that targeted vulnerable people who lived alone.
The report also stated that the socialite pleaded not guilty to the charges, and is set to be released in the coming days on a $500,000 bond with GPS tracking via an ankle monitor.
Her lawyer, Adam Cortez, confirmed to The Post that Mona received money from several others who were swindled by scammers in her network, and that she is charged with wire fraud, money laundering, receipt of stolen money, and conspiracy.
If convicted on the top charge, Montrage could face up to 20 years in prison.
According to court documents, she was involved with a group of con artists from West Africa from at least 2013 through 2019.
The scammers would trick victims into transferring money to them under false pretences, such as to help move gold to the US from overseas, to resolve bogus FBI investigations, and payments to help fake US Army officers in Afghanistan.
Mona4Reall, in one case, allegedly duped a victim into sending her $89,000 through 82 wire transfers on the pretext of helping her father’s farm in Ghana, the court documents claim.
She tricked the person into believing they were married by sending them a tribal marriage certificate after a series of phone conversations using her real identity, the filing alleges.
Manhattan US Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement shared by the New York Post said, "Thanks to the efforts of our law enforcement partners, Montrage was arrested abroad and has been brought to the United States to face justice. These scams can be both financially and emotionally devastating for vulnerable victims."
Mona was arrested on November 10, 2022, in the UK for the alleged conspiracy and brought to the US on Friday.
Acccording to the New Post, her Instagram profile was among the top 10 most followed in Ghana, and she allegedly laundered the stolen money to other members of the enterprise, the indictment charges.
Cortez said his client can only travel in certain parts of New York and New Jersey pending her case.
