Two Nigerian brothers agreed on Wednesday to a plea deal over their involvement in an international sextortion scam that led to one teen’s suicide.
17-year-old Jordan DeMay of Michigan was tricked into sending nude photos of himself over Instagram to the scammers who had posed as a teenage girl. The scammers threatened to send the nude photographs to all of his followers, including friends and family, unless he paid their extortion demand.
In one of their reported interactions, the Nigerians encouraged DeMay to kill himself after he couldn’t come up with the $1,000 they were demanding.
“I’m going to kill myself right now,” the teenager told the scammers.
“Good,” they responded. “Do it fast.”
DeMay committed suicide in 2022 under the pressure of the threats.
U.S. officials worked to identify the scammers in Lagos, Nigeria, and were able to extradite two suspects, 22-year-old Samuel Ogoshi and 20-year-old Samson Ogoshi to the U.S. in August. Initially, the pair pleaded not guilty but later agreed to a plea deal.
The Ogoshis agreed to pay restitution to the family of DeMay and to the more than 100 other victims of the scam. They also pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to sexually exploit minors.
A third person named Ezekiel Ejehem Robert is accused of running the scam, but Nigerian officials are reviewing the extradition request from U.S. officials.
DeMay’s mother, Jennifer Buta, told WDIV-TV that she hoped the case would serve as a warning to predators on social media no matter where they are located.
“I hope that from what happened today, it truly sends a message to people who are engaging in this type of behavior online, that it doesn’t matter where you are, you can be caught and held accountable for doing this activity online to our children,” said Buta.
U.S. attorney Mark Totten agreed with the grieving mother’s sentiment.
“Sextortion is a horrible crime that can leave especially younger victims feeling ashamed with nowhere to turn. My heart goes out to the family of Jordan DeMay,” Totten said in a statement in May 2023.
“Nothing can bring Jordan back, but my office is committed to securing justice and, alongside Jordan’s family, sending an urgent warning so others can protect themselves and their families,” he added. “We will travel the world to hold the perpetrators of these crimes accountable.”
The brothers face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years.
Here’s more about the scam:
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