Two Nigerian brothers, Samuel Ogoshi, 24, and Samson Ogoshi, 21, have been sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison by a United States court for their involvement in a sextortion scheme that resulted in the death of a 17-year-old American teenager.
In addition to their prison terms, the siblings will also serve five years of supervised release after completing their sentences.
The Ogoshi brothers were extradited from Lagos, Nigeria, to the United States, where they faced charges of conspiring to sexually exploit numerous minors. Their actions were directly linked to the death of Jordan DeMay, a 17-year-old high school student from Michigan, and they are believed to have exploited over 100 victims, including at least 11 minors.
“These defendants sexually exploited and extorted more than 100 victims, including at least 11 minors, resulting in the tragic death of a 17-year-old high school student,” stated Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in an official announcement from the US Justice Department.
US Attorney Mark Totten for the Western District of Michigan added, “To criminals who commit these schemes: you are not immune from justice. We will track you down and hold you accountable, even if we have to go halfway around the world to do so.”
The investigation revealed that the Ogoshi brothers used hacked social media accounts to create fake profiles, which they used to manipulate their victims. They conducted detailed online research to gather information about their targets, including where they lived, their schools, workplaces, and the identities of their family and friends.
They then solicited explicit images from their victims, which they combined into collages that also featured photos of the victims’ family, friends, and school settings.
The brothers threatened to distribute these collages to the victims’ loved ones unless the victims paid money through online cash applications. Their scheme culminated in the tragic death of Jordan DeMay, who was among their many victims.
The Ogoshi brothers were charged in November 2022 along with another Nigerian, Ezekiel Robert, who is also linked to the sextortion operation.
