Two brothers from Nigeria, Samuel and Samson Ogoshi, have pleaded guilty to their involvement in an international sex extortion scheme linked to the suicide of a 17-year-old boy in Michigan in 2022. They face a maximum of 30 years in prison for conspiring to sexually exploit teenage boys in the United States by pretending to be a young woman online. The victim, Jordan DeMay, was manipulated into sending sexually explicit images to the brothers, which ultimately led to his suicide. The FBI and local law enforcement conducted a joint investigation that led to the arrest of the Ogoshi brothers.
The plea agreement and announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan revealed that the brothers worked with a third man, Ezekiel Robert, in a scheme to purchase hacked Instagram accounts to contact teenage boys and young men. The scheme involved one person chatting with a victim while another researched personal information about the victim online, including their address, school, and identities of their friends and family. Victims were manipulated into producing and sharing sexually explicit images or videos, which were then used to blackmail them into sending money. Prosecutors stated that there were over a hundred victims, with at least 11 of them being minors.
On March 25, 2022, the Ogoshi brothers spoke with DeMay under the guise of being a young woman to extort him, threatening to expose him by sending his nude images to everyone unless he cooperated. Despite DeMay being only able to pay $300, the blackmailers continued to make threats, prompting DeMay to indicate that he was going to kill himself. Robert allegedly responded, “Do that fast” and “Or I’ll make you do it.” DeMay’s mother, Jennifer Buta, shared that her son had sent her a text in the middle of the night expressing his love for her, and the next morning, he was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The brothers were extradited to the United States last August after federal agents collaborated with Nigerian authorities to investigate the case. Buta expressed her gratitude for the efforts of all agencies involved in bringing the Ogoshi brothers to justice. She stated that while the conviction won’t bring her son back or ease the pain of his loss, it will help prevent similar crimes in the future. Buta sees her son’s legacy as changing the trajectory of this horrendous crime and emphasizes the importance of mental health support for those in need. She encourages individuals to seek help by calling or texting 988 for mental health support, accessing local mental health and crisis resources, or visiting the International Association for Suicide Prevention for assistance outside the U.S.
