‘Do that fast’: Brothers ran ‘sextortion’ scheme on teen, then taunted him into suicide

Two Nigerian brothers have been sentenced to nearly two decades in prison for their involvement in the death of a Michigan teenager, who they targeted in a sexual exploitation scheme. Samuel Ogoshi, 24, and Samson Ogoshi, 21, both from Lagos, Nigeria, received a 210-month prison sentence—equivalent to more than 17 years—the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Thursday.

In April, they pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sexually exploit minors in connection with the death of 17-year-old Jordan DeMay, a high school student who died by suicide on March 25, 2022, after falling victim to the brothers’ online scam.

According to their plea agreements, the brothers orchestrated a plot to exploit more than 100 victims, including at least 11 known minors, while living in Nigeria. Prosecutors revealed that the Ogoshi brothers purchased hacked social media accounts and posed as young women using fake profiles. They then used these accounts to contact their victims, researching details about their lives, such as where they lived, attended school, and worked, as well as the identities of their family and friends.

Armed with this information, the brothers lured their victims into sending sexually explicit images. Once they received the images, they created collages that combined the explicit content with other pictures of the victims alongside their schools, family, and friends. Prosecutors said the brothers threatened to expose these collages unless the victims paid money through online cash applications.

The Justice Department stated that Jordan’s death was a direct result of this sextortion scheme, which targeted over 100 other victims as well.