Ghanaian socialite Hajia 4Reall is set to be released on home detention but will have a GPS ankle monitor on her leg as she faces prosecution in a romance scam case in the United States (US).
The 30-year-old influencer has been extradited from the UK to the US for allegedly defrauding elderly, single American men and women to the tune of $2 million in a depraved lonely hearts scam.
The United States Attorney’s Office said she’s being prosecuted for her role in a series of romance schemes and for laundering the proceeds of those schemes.
Hajia 4Reall faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty of the charges, which include wire fraud, money laundering, receipt of stolen money and conspiracy.
According to the New York Post, she pleaded not guilty to all the charges during her first court appearances in the US.
The report further cited Hajia 4Reall’s lawyer as saying she 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.”
Hajia 4Reall’s lawyer, Adam Cortez, also disclosed that there were six alleged victims involved in the case.
“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,” he said.
Meanwhile, a statement from the US Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York said she allegedly scammed one of her victims with a fake marriage.
She is alleged to have sent the victim a tribal marriage certificate purporting to show that they were married in Ghana and took $89,000 from her victim.
“As to one victim, MONTRAGE used her real name and spoke to the victim several times by phone. MONTRAGE sent the victim a tribal marriage certificate purporting to show that MONTRAGE and the victim had been married in Ghana,” the US Attorney’s Office said on its website.
“The victim sent MONTRAGE approximately 82 wire transfers totaling approximately $89,000 to purportedly help with costs associated with MONTRAGE’s father’s farm in Ghana.
“In total, MONTRAGE controlled bank accounts that received over $2 million in fraudulent funds from the Enterprise.”
Hajia 4 Reall is presumed innocent until proven guilty, though.