Federal authorities said Monday that a Ghanaian social media influencer was extradited from the United Kingdom to the United States for allegedly swindling over $2 million from elderly, single American men and women in a twisted lonely hearts scam.
In a statement, the FBI stated that she had been charged with many offenses, including conspiracy to conduct fraud and money laundering.
Montrage allegedly deceived a victim into transferring her $89,000 over 82 wire transfers under the guise of supporting her father’s farm in Ghana, according to court filings.
According to the lawsuit, she duped the person into thinking the couple was married by sending them a tribal marriage certificate after a series of phone calls using her true identity.
Prosecutors claim Montrage also got money from several others who were duped by scammers in her network.
Montrage received $2 million from the organization, which she transferred to bank accounts in the Bronx and abroad, including one formed in the name of 4Reall Designs, a fictitious apparel firm.
According to the indictment, she then reportedly laundered the stolen money to other participants of the company.
If proven guilty, she faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count, according to some legal experts.
The 30-year-old was arrested on 10 November last year in the UK and then extradited to the US on Friday.
She pleaded not guilty to all charges when she appeared before a judge on Monday.
US authorities have expressed concern about romance scams targeting older people and expressed the need to hold perpetrators to account.
