Ghanaian social media influencer and musician, Hajia4Reall’s Lawyers are excited about a U.S. court sending her to prison in a verdict announced today.
Despite the lawyers of the Ghanaian socialite pleading for 3 months’ prison time, the judge slapped her with 1 year and 1 day’s jail time to conclude the case of U.S. v. Mona Montrage, 22 cr 617 (JPO).
The sentencing has brought a sense of relief to her legal team, who successfully argued for a significantly reduced sentence compared to the government’s request for 37 to 46 months of incarceration.
Hajia4Reall faced charges related to internet fraud, to which she had pleaded guilty. Her lawyers had presented a strong case for leniency, emphasizing her role as a single mother and the critical need for her presence in her child’s life.
“We are incredibly proud of the advocacy done on our Client’s behalf and the result achieved. Our Client will be issuing a statement when she is ready.”
Hajia4Reall’s legal team
Hajia4Reall was implicated in a romance scam that defrauded victims of $2 million. After being arrested in the United Kingdom, she was extradited to the United States to face charges.
The case attracted widespread attention due to her celebrity status and the magnitude of the fraud.
During the hearing, her defense team highlighted various relieving factors, including her responsibilities as a single mother and the potential adverse effects of prolonged separation from her child.
Her legal team also argued that the father of Hajia4Reall’s daughter, Loveman Allison, is the main culprit in the romance scam and lured her innocently to launder money from his fraudulent activities.
She recounted meeting Allison in 2015 in the United States, where she fell in love with him, only to discover his involvement in fraudulent activities later.
According to Hajia4Reall, Allison, who was once arrested and jailed in the U.S. over internet fraud, introduced her to his schemes.
Also, a foreign journalist who’s been covering the case from the beginning has released a video in which he attempted to break down why Hajia4Reall, despite the seriousness of her crimes, landed only a one-year jail term.
According to this journalist, this came down to arguments made by her legal team which claimed that she was coerced into fraud by her ex-boyfriend cum baby daddy.
They also argued that the gentleman abused Mona ie she would have found it more difficult to turn down a request from him.
Musician to be Flown Back To Ghana After Jail Term
After receiving a one-year, one-day sentence, Ghanaian socialite Hajia4Reall is expected to be flown back to Ghana with no ICE Detention.
The Judge while reading the verdict stated that the extra day is to allow a “good time”.
“We propose she be allowed to fly back to Ghana as soon as she is released, with no ICE detention.”
Defense
Detention is non-punitive. Once a noncitizen is transferred to ICE custody, the agency makes a custody determination.
ICE uses its limited detention resources to detain noncitizens to secure their presence for immigration proceedings or removal from the United States, as well as those that are subject to mandatory detention, as outlined by the Immigration and Nationality Act, or those that ICE determines are a public safety or flight risk during the custody determination process.
When a noncitizen is not subject to mandatory detention or is not deemed to be a public safety or flight risk, ICE exercises its discretion in making custody determinations to release noncitizens with conditions.
These custody decisions are made on a case-by-case basis and after considering the totality of circumstances, primarily considering the risk of flight, national security threat, and risk to public safety.
ICE also considers other factors, including when a noncitizen has a serious medical condition, is the primary caregiver of minor children, or other humanitarian considerations.
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