Ghanaian Influencer, Mona Faiz Montrage Extradited To US Over Alleged $2M Romance Scam
Category:
Cyber-Crime News
A Ghanaian social media influencer 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.
Mona Faiz Montrage, 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.
READ: University Student Arrested For Romance Scam By EFCC
Montrage — who had around 3.4 million Instagram followers of her page
Hajia4Reall at one point — from at least 2013 through 2019 was involved with a
group of con artists from West Africa who assumed fake identities to trick
people into thinking they were in relationships with them using emails, texts
and social media messages, the feds said.
The scammers would then get the victims to transfer money to them
under false pretenses — 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, court papers allege.
Montrage, 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 the pair were married by sending them a tribal marriage certificate
after a series of phone conversations using her real identity, the filing
alleges.
Montrage also received money from several others who were
swindled by scammers in her network, prosecutors allege.
READ: Love Scam: First Class Graduate Sentenced For Defrauding White Woman $12,000
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.
“As alleged, Mona Faiz
Montrage was a member of a criminal conspiracy that specifically targeted
older Americans through romance scams,” Manhattan US Attorney Damian Williams
said in a statement. “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,” the statement continued.
READ: Nigerian Husband Who Poses As Royal Marine, Dupes Four Women Of N30m (PHOTOS)
The social media influencer — whose Instagram account was among the top 10
most followed in Ghana –was arrested on Nov. 10, 2022, in the UK for the
alleged conspiracy and brought to the US on Friday.
She is charged
with wire fraud, money laundering, receipt of stolen money and conspiracy and
faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted on the top charge.
READ: Sham Bride Arrested During Her Fourth Marriage To A Nigerian Man In UK
Montrage pleaded not guilty during her court appearance and was set to
be released on home detention to her aunt’s New Jersey residence in the coming
days on $500,000 bond, with GPS tracking via an ankle monitor, her lawyer and
the prosecutor’s office confirmed.
“At this time all we know is
that there are six alleged victims and only two dealt with a woman and only
one of them claims that he dealt with Ms. Montrage,” her attorney, Adam
Cortez, told The Post.
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