3 Nigerian men charged in sextortion death of Marquette teen
(CBS DETROIT) - A little more than a year after a Michigan teen died by suicide, three Nigerian men have been charged for sexually extorting several young men and teenage boys in Michigan and across the country.
On Wednesday, May 3, U.S. Attorney Mike Totten announced the unsealing of a federal indictment charging Samuel Ogoshi, 22, Samson Ogoshi, 20, and Ezekial Ejehem Robert, 19, who are all from Lagos, Nigeria in connection to this sextortion case.
According to officials, the three men allegedly purchased hacked social media accounts and used them to pretend to be young women in order to lure young men and teenagers into engaging in sexual chats.
While the men were in contact with the victims, they searched the internet for information about where the victims lived, went to school, and worked and for information about their family and friends.
In addition, the grand jury alleges that the three men solicited the boys to produce sexually explicit photos of themselves. Once they received these images, the defendants created collages that included them alongside photos of the victim's friends and family. They threatened to send the collages to friends, family and classmates unless the victim paid them money.
Officials allege the three men engaged in this extortion of over 100 individuals.
One of the accounts used was an Instagram account with the username "dani.robertts," which was in contact with Jordan DeMay, a 17-year-old boy who was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound on March 25, 2022, after he was induced to send a nude photo of himself.
Here are the messages sent between DeMay and the dani.robertts account (which was operated by Samual Ogoshi):
dani.robertts: Are you gonna cooperate with me
dani.robertts: Just pay me rn [Just pay me right now]
dani.robertts: And I won't expose you
Victim 1: How much
dani.robertts: $1000
After DeMay paid $300, Samuel Ogoshi made more threats.
dani.robertts: Goodbye
dani.robertts: Enjoy your miserable life
Victim 1: I'm kms rn [I'm kill myself right now]
Victim 1: Bc of you [Because of you]
dani.robertts: Good
dani.robertts: Do that fast
dani.robertts: Or I'll make you do it
dani.robertts: I swear to God
On March 25, a second victim was also induced to send nude photos of himself.
Here are the messages sent between Victim 2 and the dani.robertts account:
dani.robertts: Pay me rn [Pay me right now]
dani.robertts: $800
dani.robertts: And I'll end this
dani.robertts: Deal or no deal
Victim 2: I don't have that kind of money
dani.robertts: Haha
dani.robertts: I love this
. . .
Victim 2: I have $50 in venmo and a $100 cash
dani.robertts: Dude
dani.robertts: Now goodbye
dani.robertts: Enjoy your miserable life
Victim 2: Why
dani.robertts: I'll make this go viral
On March 26, 2022, the following messages were exchanged with Victim 2:
dani.robertts: I will make you regret you life
dani.robertts: I will make u commit suicide
dani.robertts: I promise you I swear
Samual Ogoshi has been charged with sexual exploitation and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death in the death of Jordan DeMay. Ogashi faces up to life in prison and a statutory mandatory minimum of 30 years for this charge.
All three men have been charged with the following:
- conspiracy to sexually exploit minors by causing the minors to produce child pornographic images that the defendants then used to blackmail the minors. (maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison)
- conspiracy to distribute child pornography for sending the child pornography images to the minors, as well as their families and friends. (maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison)
- conspiracy to commit stalking through the internet for engaging in this sextortion scheme related to minors and young adults. (The charge has a maximum penalty of five years in prison).
The U.S. Attorney's Office says all charges have provisions for fines, restitution, and supervised release after their release from prison.
"Sextortion is a horrible crime that can leave especially younger victims feeling ashamed with nowhere to turn," said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. "My heart goes out to the family of Jordan DeMay. 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. We will travel the world to hold the perpetrators of these crimes accountable."
The death of DeMay sparked an investigation into this case. Earlier this year, Michigan FBI agents went to Nigeria to investigate with authorities there.
The three men are awaiting extradition to the United States for prosecution.
"Our focus going forward is to bring more awareness to children, young adults, and parents. Our family has forever been changed by this heinous crime and our objective is to prevent another individual from being victimized," said the DeMay family. "Kids, teenagers, and even adults can be a target of sextortion. We urge you to have discussions about this and have a plan for your children to reach out if it does happen to them." The family added, "Jordan will never be forgotten. He will forever be in our hearts and will drive us forward to share his story and help others.