Three charged in Nigeria-based ‘sextortion’ ring that led to teen’s suicide, feds say

Three men accused of operating a Nigeria-based “sextortion” ring are facing charges in the U.S. after a Michigan teen’s death spurred an international investigation, officials said at a May 3 news conference.

In March of 2022, 17-year-old Jordan DeMay received a message on Instagram. It appeared to be a girl named Dani Roberts, but it was a hacked account purchased by Samuel Ogoshi, a 22-year-old Nigerian national, US Attorney Mark Totten said.

Ogoshi convinced DeMay to send explicit pictures of himself. Once he did, Ogoshi dropped the fake persona and began making threats and demands for money, Totten said.

Ogoshi had done research on DeMay, collected pictures of family members, friends, even his school. He combined these with the explicit photos, creating a “collage” he threatened to share far and wide unless DeMay paid him $1,000, the prosecutor said.

Within six hours of being blackmailed, DeMay died by suicide.

“As parents, we can’t begin to imagine what Jordan went through that night, and how scared he was,” DeMay’s mother, Jennifer Buta, said.

DeMay’s parents have been outspoken since his death, hopeful that sharing his story will serve as a warning to other families and ultimately save lives.

“He was the perfect mix of fun loving and hard working. He played hard, he loved hard and he never held back,” Buta said. “He wanted to connect and be everyone’s friend.”

Within a week of DeMay’s death, the FBI launched an investigation, said James Tarasca, special agent in charge of the FBI in Michigan. Evidence led investigators to Nigeria, where national authorities assisted.

The investigation “involved identifying dozens of victims, following the digital bread crumbs left behind by the sextortionists (on the internet), tracking the payments made by victims … and working with our Nigerian counterpart to identify our subjects in Nigeria,” Tarasca said.

Sextortion is on the rise, Tarasca said, and perpetrators can be anywhere in the world, making it difficult to identify them, much less charge and bring them to justice.

“Make no mistake, charges of this type brought against subjects outside the United States are rare,” Tarasca said.

“The techniques used and refined during this investigation will serve as a framework for disrupting criminal groups who engage in sextortion going forward.”

All three men face charges of conspiracy to sexually exploit minors, and conspiracy to distribute child pornography, according to a Department of Justice news release. But Ogoshi is facing an additional charge of sexual exploitation and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death, which carries a minimum 30 year sentence, or a maximum of life in prison if he is found guilty.

They are awaiting extradition to the United States, officials said.

The trio targeted over 100 people in the US, according to Totten.

“To those who are engaging in this crime, we will travel the world to find you and hold you accountable,” he said.

Sextortionists use shame and embarrassment not only to blackmail their victims, but to keep them quiet.

“If you have been financially sextorted, remember the predator is to blame, not your child or you,” Tarasca said.

Victims of online sextortion should block the perpetrator on whichever platform they contact you on, but don’t delete any messages they’ve sent, Tarasca said. Reach out to a trusted adult and contact law enforcement, as cooperating with a blackmailer often doesn’t end the harassment.

“Talking about this can feel impossible, but there are people who want to help you,” he said.

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