Chef Abdul-Razak Failatu, the Ghanaian whose attempt to secure the Guinness World Record (GWR) for the longest cooking marathon was unsuccessful, has said that she used to aspire to be like embattled socialite, Mona Faiz Montrage well known as Hajia4Reall.
According to her, Hajia4Reall sometime ago was embarking on a project to donate to the poor and needy in the Northern Region which inspired her so much to the extent that she wanted to be like her one day.
She stated that she is proud of Hajia4Reall’s rise to stardom in Ghana as she hails from the Northern Region because it is difficult for people in that jurisdiction to do so.
Speaking on the United Showbiz programme aired on UTV monitored by GhanaWeb, Chef Faila disclosed that growing up she was praying to be like Hajia4Reall in terms of her wealth, not her lifestyle.
“In the Northern Region life was very difficult so we were happy when she rose to prominence in the country. I think last two years she came around to the North to donate to the orphanage and encourage people, so I was very inspired.
"Even though I was selling rice by then, I was praying that in future I would be like Hajia4Real. Not in the sense of her lifestyle but the wealth she had to make an impact,” she said.
Chef Faila defended Hajia4Reall’s parents saying that they cannot be blamed for the wrongdoing of an adult who decides for herself.
“I know it's not easy for their parents at this moment. I believe after 30 years everyone has the right to choose for themselves and no one can blame parents for their child’s wrongdoing.”
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 the 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.
Watch the video below
SB/OGB
