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Popular slay queen extradited to the United States for $2m fraud (Photo)

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A popular Ghanaian socialite and slay queen has been extradited to the United States. Mona Faiz Montrage popularly known as Hajia4Reall was extradited from the United Kingdom to the US for allegedly swindling over $2 million from older, single American men and women in a twisted lonely hearts scam. Recall that the social media influencer whose Instagram account is among the top 10 most followed in Ghana, was arrested on November 10, 2022, in the UK for the alleged conspiracy and brought to the US on Friday, May 12. US prosecutors said the popular socialite and singer appeared in Manhattan federal court on Monday, May 15, for her alleged involvement in a series of romance schemes targeting older people who lived alone. “As alleged, Mona Faiz Montrage was a member of a criminal conspiracy that specifically targeted older Americans through romance scams,” Manhattan US Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement. “These scams can be both financially and emotionally devastating for vulnerable victims.” Her lawyer told The Post that she pleaded not guilty to the charges and is set to be released in the coming days on $500,000 bond with GPS tracking via an ankle monitor. Prosecutors have alleged that Montrage, who gained significant recognition through her widely popular Instagram page Hajia4Real with a peak following of approximately 3.4 million users, was involved in a network of fraudsters hailing from Ghana and Nigeria. These individuals employed deceptive tactics, assuming false identities to create an illusion of romantic relationships with their victims through emails, text messages, and social media communications. The scammers would then get the victims to transfer money to them under false pretenses; such as to help move gold to the US from overseas, to resolve bogus FBI investigations and payments to help fake US Army officers in Afghanistan, court papers allege. Montrage, in one case, allegedly duped a victim into sending her $89,000 through 82 wire transfers on the pretext of helping her father’s farm in Ghana, the court documents claim. She tricked the person into believing the pair were married by sending them a tribal marriage certificate after a series of phone conversations using her real identity, the filing alleges. Montrage also received money from several others who were swindled by scammers in her network, prosecutors allege. Montrage is charged with wire fraud, money laundering, receipt of stolen money and conspiracy. She faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted on the top charge. Montrage’s lawyer Adam Cortez said; “At this time all we know is that there are six alleged victims and only two dealt with a woman and only one of them claims that he dealt with Ms. Montrage.” Cortez told The Post that he can’t comment further until he receives more information and evidence from prosecutors.

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Tupac Shakur to be honoured with Posthumous Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

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Late rap legend, Tupac Shakur will be posthumously honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the organization confirmed on Wednesday, May 31.Shakur’s sister, Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, will accept the honor on the artist’s behalf on June 7 on Hollywood Boulevard.Shakur’s star will be issued in the “Recording” category. Radio personality Big Boy will emcee the event.”Tupac Shakur was a rapper, actor, activist, poet, and revolutionary,” Hollywood Walk of Fame producer Ana Martinez said in a statement. “This iconic artist has continued to be part of the zeitgeist for decades after his passing and will continue to be an important cultural figure for many years to come.””Surely, as one of L.A.’s own, Tupac’s star will be added to the list of most visited stars,” Martinez added.The “California Love” rapper, who was murdered in 1996 at the age of 25, led a successful music and film career, influencing the hip-hop genre and amassing a global fan base. He has sold over 75 million records worldwide, and his “All Eyez on Me” and “Greatest Hits” albums have been Diamond certified.The rapper also found further success in acting. He starred and received critical acclaim in movies such as “Juice,” “Poetic Justice,” “Above The Rim,” “Gridlock’d,” and “Gang Related.”Shakur was also recognized as an activist who advocated for the rights of Black Americans through his music and art.A docuseries titled “Dear Mama: The Saga of Afeni and Tupac Shakur,” which was released last month on FX and Hulu, details Shakur’s life, including the influence his mother, Afeni, had on Shakur. The series’ director, Allen Hughes, will also be present at the unveiling next week.Earlier this month, Shakur was honored by Oakland, California, whose city council voted to rename a street “Tupac Shakur Way”.

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Nigeria spent $8bn to restore peace in Liberia – Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Irabor

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The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, has revealed that Nigeria spent the sum of $8bn to restore peace in Liberia.Delivering his keynote remark at the event to mark the 75th-year celebration of the United Nations peacekeeping operations on Wednesday, May 24, the CDS noted that Nigeria’s active participation in peacekeeping missions had helped save countless lives and restore peace and stability to many countries over the decades.Irabor also stated that despite the security challenges occasioned by the activities of non-state actors and other criminal elements that have besieged the country, the Armed Forces of Nigeria and the Police have continued to contribute troops to sustain the country’s commitment to the UN.He said;“Since the first engagement of troops of our Armed Forces in the Congo in 1960, Nigeria has been unequivocally committed to the principles and objectives of the United Nations. It has significantly contributed to 41 peacekeeping operations worldwide.“Ever since, over 200,000 Nigerian troops have served in UN peacekeeping missions worldwide and Nigerian senior military officers have commanded some of these missions.“Similarly, under regional and sub-regional cooperation, Nigeria has been involved in peacekeeping operations in field missions in Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia, Liberia, Mali, Darfur and Sierra Leone and has contributed a lot in terms of finance, logistics, troops and civilian experts, making her one of the most significant African troops and civilian police contributors to UN missions.“It is noteworthy that in addition to the loss of lives and injuries to personnel, the ECOMOG, a regional interventionist mediation force advocated to end the protracted Liberian civil war, was operated at an estimated cost of USD 8 billion to the Nigerian government.”

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I couldn’t even afford a wig three years ago – Singer Libianca reveals

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Libianca, the popular Cameroonian singer, has made a revelation about herself.She revealed that she was so poor three years ago she couldn’t afford a wig and was always borrowing her mother’s wig.She disclosed this in a recent interview with R29Unbothered.The ‘People’ crooner said but now she wears expensive wigs.She said: “If you can see this [wig] burst down on my head right now, I couldn’t afford this sh*t two, three years ago.“Two, three years ago, I was wearing my mama’s wig. I’m happier. I’m actually, like, content with where I am in life.”The singer also advised European and American chefs to leave black people’s food for black chefs to cook, adding that white chefs just put spices on food and call them African dishes.

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