The founder of the Alabaster International Ministries, Prophet Kofi Oduro, has reacted after embattled social media influencer, Mona Faiz Montrage, well known as Hajia4Reall, pleaded guilty to receiving fraud proceeds from romance scams.
According to him, Hajia4Reall’s situation should serve as an example to the current generation to work diligently to gain wealth instead of using dubious means to become rich overnight.
He lamented the rate at which people are chastising and spewing insults at her personality on social media and advised her critics to take a cue from her situation and desist from such acts.
Speaking to his congregation, Prophet Kofi Oduro admonished members of the public to refrain from being more concerned about earthly desires, including accolades and rather seek God to safeguard their salvation.
“That young lady [Hajia4Real] was arrested; from London to the US, and now waiting for a sentence. People are sitting in their homes and talking nonsense online about her due to her involvement in money laundering. This generation is mad because we want to be rich overnight, including the people in the church.
“This is the generation where people believe they can be successful without working hard. People are obsessed with winning awards like Grammys, VGMAs and all that, but all these are vanity. We should work towards our salvation rather than focusing on earthly desires and wealth,” he advised.
He made the statement after Hajia4Reall pleaded guilty to receiving fraud proceeds from romance scams, as reported by the United States Department of Justice (DoJ).
A DoJ statement dated February 21, 2024, read in part: "Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the guilty plea today of Mona Faiz Montrage for her role in laundering the proceeds of a series of romance scams.
"Montrage pled guilty today to conspiracy to receive stolen money before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah L. Cave.," the statement added.
What sentence Montrage faces
Montrage pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to receive stolen money - she faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
She also agreed to pay forfeiture of $2,164,758.41 and make restitution in the same amount.
She is set to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Paul A. Crotty at a yet-to-be-determined date, it remains to be seen if she would be given the maximum five-year sentence.
What Attorney for the Southern District of New York said:
Attorney Damian Williams said of the guilty plea: “Mona Faiz Montrage knowingly received money stolen from older Americans through romance scams and was arrested abroad and now faces serious consequences for her actions.
"Romance scams such as Montrage’s harmed her 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.
"This Office and our law enforcement partners are relentless in bringing fraudsters who target Americans to justice, no matter where they are,” he stressed.
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