Nigerian men charged over alleged sexual extortion that caused US teen's death
Using hacked social media accounts, and posing as young women the defendants are alleged to have lured American teenage and young adult males into sending nude images of themselves, which they later used to solicit money from the victims.
Three Nigerian men are facing extradition from their home country after being charged by US authorities for alleged sexual extortion of more than 100 victims, including one case that caused the death of a 17-year American.
According to a US Department of Justice statement, 17-year-old Jordan DeMay on March 25, 2022, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. “His death prompted an investigation by the Marquette County Sheriff’s Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which culminated in the indictment unsealed today (May-03-23)," the statement said.
Using hacked social media accounts, and posing as young women, defendants, Samuel Ogoshi, Samson Ogoshi, and Ezekiel Ejehem Robert are alleged to have lured American teenage and young adult males into sending nude images of themselves, which they later used to blackmail them into sending money.
"One of the accounts used was an Instagram account bearing the user name ‘dani.robertts’, which communicated with Jordan DeMay shortly before his death. After initiating chat conversations with the victims, the defendants simultaneously used Google and other online applications to research information about the victims, including where the victims lived, where they went to school or worked, and who their family and friends were.
Once the defendants received sexually explicit images, they created collages that included the sexually explicit image alongside other images of the victims from social media, including images of the victims’ school, family, and friends. The defendants then threatened to disclose the collages to others, including the family, friends, and classmates, of their victims via social media unless the victims paid money," the statement details.
In the particular case of Jordan DeMay, he is said to have made a $300 payment after Samuel Ogoshi demanded he paid $1000 and then made more threats.
The trio were arrested following a collaboration between FBI agents and Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and have been charged in a four-count indictment:
- Count 1 charges Samuel Ogoshi with Sexual Exploitation and Attempted Sexual Exploitation of a Minor Resulting in Death in association with the death of Jordan DeMay. The charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison and a statutory mandatory minimum of 30 years in prison.
- Count 2 charges all three men with Conspiracy to Sexually Exploit Minors by causing the minors to produce child pornographic images that the defendants then used to blackmail the minors. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison.
- Count 3 charges all three men with Conspiracy to Distribute Child Pornography for sending the child pornography images to the minors, as well as their families and friends. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years in prison.
- Count 4 charges Conspiracy to Commit Stalking Through the Internet for engaging in this sextortion scheme as it relates to both minors and young adults. The charge has a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison.
“The FBI referred information to the EFCC regarding three additional Nigerian males involved in this same sextortion ring. These individuals were arrested by the EFCC. All charges have provisions for fines, restitution, and supervised release after their release from prison."
