GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten and Acting Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the FBI in Michigan Devin Kowalski provided an update Sunday at noon on the international “sextortion” ring involving 17-year-old Jordan DeMay from Marquette and defendants from Nigeria.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said “Sextortion” or sexual extortion is the practice of extorting money or sexual favors from someone by threatening to reveal evidence of their sexual activity.
DeMay was found dead in March of 2022 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. After his death the Marquette County Sheriff's Office and the FBI investigated, finding that DeMay had been a victim of "sextortion."
“Financial sextortion is a global crisis that impacts teens in our country and around the world,” said Devin J. Kowalski, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “As this case demonstrates, the FBI is committed to working closely with our domestic and international law enforcement partners to prevent young men and women from becoming victims of this tragic crime.”
Three men, Samuel Ogoshi, 22, Samson Ogoshi, 20, and Ezekiel Ejehem Robert, 19, all of Lagos, Nigeria, were charged with sexually extorting DeMay and numerous other young men and teenage boys in West Michigan and across the United States. Samuel Ogoshi has been charged in DeMay's death.
Both of the Ogoshi's have been extradited to the United States, while the extradition of Robert is still pending.
“Sextortion is a horrible crime,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “To those who commit these crimes: we will pursue you around the world. And to those who are victims: please know we stand ready to help you.” U.S. Attorney Totten continued: “I am extremely pleased with how swiftly extradition efforts moved forward and am grateful to the FBI and our Nigerian law enforcement partners for their unyielding work to secure justice in this international sexual exploitation investigation.”
The three defendants are 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.
All charges have provisions for fines, restitution, and supervised release after their release from prison.
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