2 Nigerian brothers convicted of sextortion that led to death of teenager

MARQUETTE, Michigan — Two brothers from Nigeria were sentenced Thursday to 17 1/2 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to sexually extorting teenage boys and young men across the U.S. Among them was a 17-year-old from Michigan who committed suicide.

A federal judge sentenced Samuel Ogoshi, 24, and Samson Ogoshi, 21, after hearing emotional testimony from the parents and stepmother of Jordan DeMay. DeMay was 17 when he took his own life in his family's home in Marquette in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

The Ogoshis, both from Lagos, Nigeria, had previously been extradited from Nigeria to face trial there. Both brothers pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to sexually exploit teenagers.

They were accused of running an international sextortion ring in which they posed as women, a plot that led to DeMay's suicide in March 2022. The siblings were accused of tricking DeMay into sending a nude photo of himself and then blackmailing him. Federal prosecutors said their sextortion plots targeted more than 100 victims, including DeMay.

“Today's sentencing of Samuel and Samson Ogoshi sends a thunderous message,” U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said in a statement. “To the criminals who commit these acts, you are not immune from justice. We will track you down and hold you accountable, even if it means traveling halfway around the world.”

Sexual blackmail, or sextortion, involves persuading a person to post explicit photographs online and then threatening to publish the images unless the victim pays money or provides sexual favors. This crime carries a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years.

U.S. District Judge Robert J. Jonker, who also sentenced the Ogoshis to five years' probation after their release, said he would decide the amount of restitution the brothers must pay once he receives more information.

Before sentencing the brothers, Jonker said the case called for long prison sentences. He said both defendants had shown a “callous disregard for life” and noted that the siblings continued their sextortion scams even after learning that DeMay had committed suicide.

“The continuation of the entire conspiracy even after there was firm knowledge that a person, the person in this case, had committed suicide, indicates the need for a heavy sentence,” the judge said during the sentencing hearing for Samson Ogoshi.

DeMay's mother, Jennifer Buta, told the court during Samuel Ogoshi's sentencing that her son's death left her “deeply shaken, angry and caught up in grief.” She said the last text message her son sent her was “Mom, I love you” – a text she read when she woke up and thought was loving until she learned that Jordan had killed himself in his bedroom.

“I thought Jordan's farewell message and declaration of love to me was a loving message,” Buta said. “I never imagined that while I was sleeping, the two defendants were hiding behind their screens and torturing Jordan for hours while he was alone.”

DeMay's stepmother, Jessica DeMay, said during her tearful testimony that she and Jordan's other relatives would “never experience pure joy again” because every happy moment was marred by “a little cloud of sadness” resulting from Jordan's death.

The teenager's father, John DeMay, said in court that the image of “my son lying dead on his bed with a gunshot wound to the head” haunts him.

“Jordan was an amazing young man. He was resilient, he was smart, he was educated, he was an athlete. He was my only son. And you spoke to him for the last time in his life. This is horrifying to me,” he said.

Sean Tilton, Samuel Ogoshi's attorney, said his client had cooperated with authorities and written a letter of apology. He said Samuel Ogoshi showed remorse “and feels tremendous guilt for the loss of life in this case.”

Samson Ogoshi's lawyer Julia Kelly said during the sentencing that her client was “very remorseful” and that he was 18 years old when he began engaging in extortion and fraud schemes. She said such scams were common in Lagos, Nigeria, and he saw them as a quick way to make money.

Kelly wrote in a court document that “hundreds of people like him were involved in similar scams.”

“He was told who could get him a hacked account, how to create a fake profile, how to push accounts and since English is not his first language, he was given a script with the words to say,” she wrote.