Hajia4Reall’s ankle monitor, a constant reminder of her trial restrictions, has reportedly been removed.
This development came after a plea from her legal representative, Eleana Fast of ‘The Fast Law Firm,’ who petitioned the court for its temporary removal to facilitate an MRI scan.
In a letter to the court, Fast respectfully requested the modification of Ms. Mona Montrage’s pre-trial conditions to permit the removal of her ankle monitor for the MRI scan.
The request was made due to pain in her left ankle, with her doctor recommending the scan. Supporting medical documentation was provided along with the request.
“I am an attorney of record for Ms. Mona Montrage on the above-mentioned case. I am writing to respectfully request that Ms Montrage’s pre-trial conditions be modified to allow for the temporal removal of her ankle monitor to allow her to have an MRI done. Ms. Montrage has been experiencing pain in her left ankle and her doctor has recommended the scan.
“If so authorized by the court, Ms Montrage is scheduled for the MRI on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, at 8 am at 574 Springfield Avenue, Westfield New Jersey 07090. I have also provided the supporting Medical documentation,” the statement added.
Subsequently, the court approved Hajia4Reall’s legal team’s request, leading to the removal of her ankle monitor on the same day.
In a further development, just five days before Hajia4Reall’s scheduled sentencing, her legal team submitted another letter to the court, seeking a two-week postponement of the sentencing.
The letter, co-signed by Eleana Fast, Esq., detailed the need for additional time to compile essential documents for the defense’s sentencing submission.
This included pending letters of support and a letter from Ms. Montrage’s immigration attorney regarding the potential immigration repercussions of her conviction.
After confirming with the United States Attorney and Steiner, who had no objections, the defense proposed June 19 or June 24–28 as alternative dates for sentencing.
The judge granted the request the following day, rescheduling Hajia4Reall’s sentencing for June 28, 2024.
Read the full statements below:
Hajia4Reall pleaded guilty to count 5 (Conspiracy to receive stolen money)
Out of the seven counts or charges she has been hit with, Hajia4Reall pleaded guilty to the ‘Conspiracy to receive stolen money.’
Mona Faiz Montrage’s six other charges are the ‘Attempt and conspiracy to commit wire fraud’, ‘Fraud by wire, radio or television’, ‘Money laundering, fraud and other conspiracies’, ‘Money laundering, fraud, and others’, ‘Sale or receipt of stolen goods, securities money’ and ‘Felony’.
However, count 5 exposes Hajia4Reall to a maximum of five years imprisonment.
“Montrage, 31, of Accra. Pled guilty to one count of conspiring to receive stolen money, which carries a maximum sentence of five years,” a statement from the US magistrate court read.
Per the US Constitution, count 5 (considered a felony) is a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment of one year or more.
Court grants Hajia4Reall the option of surrendering her valued properties for payment
After agreeing to repay the stolen sum of $2,164,758.41, the court, under count 5, permitted Hajia4Reall to use her properties valued at the same amount to cover the repayments.
Hajia4Reall allegedly swindled over $2 million from six victims using five bank accounts.
Investigations revealed that she operated five foreign bank accounts where she deposited funds taken from six victims.
The socialite illicitly set up five bank accounts under fake business names across three different banks in the Bronx, New York.
The accounts, referred to as ‘Montrage Accounts’ and numbered from Account 1 to Account 5, reportedly received deposits totaling $2,165,000 from the victims.