Recall that the social media influencer whose Instagram account is among the top 10 most followed in Ghana, was arrested on November 10, 2022, in the UK for the alleged conspiracy and brought to the US on Friday, May 12.
US prosecutors said the popular socialite and singer appeared in Manhattan federal court on Monday, May 15, for her alleged involvement in a series of romance schemes targeting older people who lived alone.
“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.”
Her lawyer told The Post that she pleaded not guilty to the charges and is set to be released in the coming days on $500,000 bond with GPS tracking via an ankle monitor.
Prosecutors have alleged that Montrage, who gained significant recognition through her widely popular Instagram page Hajia4Real with a peak following of approximately 3.4 million users, was involved in a network of fraudsters hailing from Ghana and Nigeria.
These individuals employed deceptive tactics, assuming false identities to create an illusion of romantic relationships with their victims through emails, text messages, and social media communications.
