Cyberstalking: 2 Nigerian brothers convicted of sextortion over Michigan teen’s suicide

Photo collage of Samuel Ogoshi, Marquette’s Jordan DeMay (center) and Samson-Ogoshi Credit: BlackSportsOnline

*The United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan sentences Samuel Ogoshi, 24, and Samson Ogoshi, 21, two brothers from Lagos, to 17 years and six months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for posing online as young women, collecting nude photos of underage males and young men for the purpose of blackmailing them.

Alexander Davis | ConsumerConnect

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan has convicted two Nigerian brothers of posing online as young women to collect nude photos of underage boys and use them as blackmail against them in the U.S. country.

On Thursday, September 5, 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office sentenced Samuel Ogoshi, 24, and Samson Ogoshi, 21, two brothers from Lagos, to 17 years and six months in prison, followed by five years of probation.

It was revealed that the sextortion operation targeted more than 100 victims, including at least 11 minors, and resulted in the suicide of a Marquette teenager in 2022 in the US.

However, the two men pleaded guilty earlier this year to conspiracy to sexually exploit minors, CBS Austin reported.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan, the report also revealed that the Ogoshi brothers used fake social media profiles to pose as young women and contact minors and young men.

The district attorney’s office also stated, “They conducted online research on their victims to find out where they lived, went to school, worked, and who their family and friends were.

“They then asked their underage victims to make sexually explicit images of themselves.

“After receiving the images, they created a collage of photos that combined the sexually explicit image with other images of the victim and his/her school, family and friends.”

The men then threatened to share the images with the victim’s family, friends and classmates unless the victim paid them through online money applications, the report said.

According to the District Attorney’s Office, Samuel Ogoshi was originally charged with attempted sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death, in connection with the death of 17-year-old Jordan DeMay of Marquette, who was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in March 2022.

A third Nigerian, Ezekiel Robert, was also charged in connection with the sextortion scheme.

According to the report, Robert has appealed a Nigerian court’s order to extradite him to the United States.

US Attorney Mark Totten is reported to have said the following about the development: “These sentences should serve as a warning that perpetrators of online sexual exploitation and extortion cannot escape accountability for their heinous crimes by hiding behind their phones and computers.

“The Department of Justice will find them wherever they are, and we will bring them to justice in the United States.”

In the meantime, anyone who has been a victim of sextortion is encouraged to contact the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-CALL-FBI.