Two brothers from Nigeria pleaded guilty in connection with an international sextortion ring, in which they threatened to release a nude photo of a 17-year-old Michigan boy, driving him to commit suicide inside his home.
Samuel Ogoshi, 22, and Samson Ogoshi, 20, on Wednesday each pleaded guilty to conspiring to sexually exploit teenage boys, US Attorney Mark Totten said in a statement.
The Ogoshis are accused of running an international sextortion ring in which they posed as a woman and which resulted in the suicide of 17-year-old Jordan DeMay of Marquette, in the Upper Peninsula, on March 25, 2022.
The Lagos brothers face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years behind bars, US Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten said in a statement.
In exchange for the plea agreement, the other charges will be dropped.
They were originally charged with conspiracy to sexually exploit minors, conspiracy to distribute child porn and conspiracy to commit stalking over the internet in a plot against dozens of young men and teen boys in the US.
“Today’s guilty pleas represent an extraordinary success in the prosecution of international sextortion,” Totten said in the release. “These convictions will send a message to criminals in Nigeria and every corner of the globe: working with our partners both here and overseas, we can find you and we can bring you to justice.”
He continued: “I hope these guilty pleas also bring a small measure of relief to the family of Jordan DeMay, who died as a result of this crime. Of course, the job is not done.
“The Ogoshi brothers await sentencing later this year, and we are still pursuing the extradition of the third defendant, Ezekiel Robert,” Totten added.
A Nigerian court recently ordered Robert, 19, the third defendant, to be extradited to the US, but he has appealed that decision and the matter is before the country’s High Court, officials said.
DeMay, 17, was found dead in his home of a self-inflicted gunshot wound March 25, 2022, after an Instagram account officials said was run by the three Nigerian men threatened to release explicit photos of the teen if he did not pay $1,000.
Sexual extortion, or sextortion, involves persuading victims to send explicit photos online then threatening to make the images public if the victim doesn’t pay money or engage in sexual favors.
The two men each face single counts of conspiracy to sexually exploit minors, conspiracy to distribute child sexual abuse images and conspiracy to commit stalking through the internet. Samuel Ogoshi also faces single charges of sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death.
