Nigerian Brothers Sentenced In Sextortion Scheme That Resulted In Death Of Teen

Samuel Ogoshi, 24, and Samson Ogoshi, 21, both of Lagos, Nigeria, have each been sentenced to 210 months in prison and five years of supervised release for conspiracy to sexually exploit minors.

On March 25, 2022, 17-year-old high school student, Jordan DeMay, of Marquette, Michigan, died as a result of this sextortion scheme, which targeted over 100 other victims.

“These defendants sexually exploited and extorted more than 100 victims, including at least eleven minors, resulting in the tragic death of a 17- 17-year-old high school student,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland.

As detailed in their plea agreements (here and here), Samuel and Samson Ogoshi engaged in a scheme while living in Nigeria to sexually exploit more than 100 victims, including at least 11 identified minor victims.

They purchased hacked social media accounts and used them to pose as young women, making fake profiles and using the messaging feature on the social media accounts to contact victims. They conducted online research about their victims to learn where they lived, attended school, worked, and the identities of their family and friends. They then solicited their minor victims to produce sexually explicit images of themselves.

Once they received the images, they created a collage of pictures that included the sexually explicit image with other images of the victim and their school, family, and friends. The Ogoshi brothers threatened to disclose the collages to the family, friends, and classmates of the victim unless the victim agreed to pay money using online cash applications.

In November 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan charged Samuel Ogoshi, Samson Ogoshi, and Ezekiel Robert, all Nigerian nationals, in the sextortion scheme that resulted in the death of Jordan DeMay.

The Ogoshi Brothers were extradited to the United States in August 2023 and pleaded guilty in April. On March 21, a Nigerian court ordered Robert to be extradited to the United States. He has appealed that decision, and the matter is before the Nigerian High Court.

“These sentences should serve as a warning that the perpetrators of online sexual exploitation and extortion cannot escape accountability for their heinous crimes by hiding behind their phones and computers. The Justice Department will find them, no matter where they are, and we will bring them to justice in the United States.”