NEW YORK, NY – Mona Faiz Montrage, a 32-year-old Ghanaian “influencer” known online as “Hajia4Reall,” was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison today for her role in a West African criminal enterprise that preyed on Americans through elaborate romance scams. U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken handed down the sentence in Manhattan federal court, bringing a measure of justice to victims fleeced out of millions.
The sentencing follows MONTRAGE’s guilty plea on February 21, 2024, to conspiracy to receive stolen money. According to prosecutors, MONTRAGE knowingly accepted funds from victims—often vulnerable, elderly individuals—who believed they were in romantic relationships with fabricated online personas created by the Enterprise. The scheme spanned from at least 2013 to 2019, and the money flowed into accounts controlled by MONTRAGE and her co-conspirators.
“Mona Faiz Montrage knowingly received illegal funds from older Americans who were victims of romance scams and now faces serious consequences for her actions,” declared U.S. Attorney Damian Williams. “Romance scams such as Montrage’s harm vulnerable, elderly victims not only in the cruel betrayal of trust in the realization that their online romantic connection was fiction, but by also callously stealing their money.” Williams emphasized the office’s commitment to pursuing fraudsters, “no matter where they are.”
The Enterprise targeted victims with carefully crafted lies, convincing them to send money under false pretenses. These included bogus requests for funds to transport gold, resolve fabricated FBI investigations, and assist a fictitious U.S. Army officer stationed in Afghanistan. MONTRAGE, with her massive Instagram following – once exceeding 3.4 million – served as a key receiver of the stolen funds. She controlled bank accounts that amassed over $2 million in fraudulent payments from approximately forty victims.
While MONTRAGE built a public persona of wealth and influence, she was facilitating a cruel and calculated scheme that devastated lives. The judge’s sentence goes beyond imprisonment, mandating three years of supervised release and requiring MONTRAGE to forfeit $216,475. She is also ordered to pay restitution totaling $1,387,458 to the victims she helped rob. The FBI’s work was specifically lauded by Williams.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mitzi Steiner and Kevin Mead of the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. This conviction serves as a stark warning: even those shielded by online profiles and international borders will be held accountable for participating in predatory schemes that exploit the trust and vulnerability of others. The Grimy Times will continue to follow the fallout of this case and the ongoing efforts to dismantle similar criminal networks.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Cybercrime|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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