Hajia4Reall received a one-year and one-day sentence for engaging in a romance scam, but she was not placed into ICE custody.

 

A US court has sentenced Ghanaian socialite and influencer Hajia4Reall to one year and a day in prison for offenses related to romance scams.

In February 2024, Hajia4Reall, whose true name is Montrage Faiz, entered a guilty plea to charges of romance scamming. She was sentenced on Friday, June 28.


Under the direction of U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken, the sentence was given in New York.


Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention is not a part of her sentence. This implies that after serving her jail sentence, Hajia4Reall won't be kept behind bars for an additional 48 hours.

On the day she gets released from detention, she will be permitted to return immediately to Ghana by plane from prison.

As opposed to the situation of many non-US nationals, Hajia4Reall's sentencing is without ICE custody, according to Inner City Press, a US-based news website that covers criminal cases. The additional day is intended to allow for "good time credit."

Hajia4Reall's attorneys asked the court for a three-month sentence after her guilty plea to the romance scam schemes, citing her status as a single mother and the need of her presence in her child's life.

The US Attorney's Office, however, mounted a fierce defense, pointing to related cases to support the entire 37-month sentence.


According to the US Attorney's Office, a shorter term won't be just or effective in discouraging people.
 

Hajia4Reall identified her daughter's father as the person who first exposed her to online fraud.

She claims that she didn't know about Allison's fraudulent operations when she first met him in 2015 and fell in love with him in the US.



Later on, she found out he was interested in fraud, which he had exposed her to and encouraged her to pursue.

A six-count indictment against ajia4Reall was brought against her for her involvement in many romance scams and for money laundering related to those scams.


On November 10, 2022, she was taken into custody in the United Kingdom, and on May 12, 2023, she was extradited.


Context

Hajia4Reall was reportedly extradited from the UK to the US in May 2023 to face criminal accusations, including conspiracy to commit fraud and receiving more than $2 million in earnings from romance scams.


The US Attorney claims that Montrage participated in a criminal organization (the "Enterprise") situated in West Africa that perpetrated several frauds against people starting at least in or around 2013 and ending at or around 2019.