Oliver Mawusi Barker-Vormawor, a social activist, has stated that Ghanaian socialite Mona Faiz Montage might have been able to get away with her alleged crimes if she had stolen from the government of Ghana instead of committing fraud in the United States.
The activist posted on Facebook, saying that Mona should have known better and chosen a different country to commit her crimes since the legal system in Ghana is not as strong as the one in the United States.
“Mona 4Real should have robbed Ghanaians like Menzgold and she would have been free. She could have robbed Pensioners like Ken Ofori-Atta and his short cousin, and she would have been free.”
“She could have branded bus for millions; installed three Airconditioners in one office. She could have done worse to the public purse, and she would have been fine. Choose carefully who you steal from. Avoid Americans. Target Ghanaians. Shalom” he stated.
On May 15, 2023, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) announced the indictment of Ghanaian socialite and musician Mona Faiz Montrage, also known as Hajia 4Real, for allegedly defrauding older, unmarried American women and men of more than $2 million in a romance scam.
She is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of wire fraud, one count of money laundering conspiracy, and one count of money laundering, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Montrage appeared in Manhattan federal court on Monday and pleaded not guilty to the charges, and according to her counsel, she will be released in the coming days on a $500,000 bail with GPS monitoring via an ankle monitor.
The procecutors said she’s been participating in a series of romance scams from at least 2013 through 2019 that targeted older people who lived alone, along with a group of con artists from West Africa who assumed false identities to deceive individuals into believing they were in relationships with them via email, text, and phone conversations.
