Current:Home > Back2 Nigerian brothers sentenced for sextortion that led to teen’s death-LoTradeCoin
2 Nigerian brothers sentenced for sextortion that led to teen’s death
View Date:2024-12-23 16:12:41
MARQUETTE, Mich. (AP) — Two brothers from Nigeria were sentenced to 17 1/2 years in federal prison Thursday after pleading guilty to sexually extorting teenage boys and young men across the U.S., including a 17-year-old from Michigan who took his own life.
A federal judge sentenced Samuel Ogoshi, 24, and Samson Ogoshi, 21, after hearing emotional testimony from the parents and stepmother of Jordan DeMay, who was 17 when he killed himself at his family’s home in Marquette, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
The Ogoshis, both from Lagos, Nigeria, had previously been extradited from Nigeria to stand trial. The brothers each pleaded guilty in April to conspiring to sexually exploit teenage boys.
They were accused of running an international sextortion ring in which they posed as a woman, a scheme which resulted in DeMay’s March 2022 suicide. The siblings were accused of inducing DeMay to send a naked picture of himself and then extorting him. Federal prosecutors said their sextortion schemes targeted more than 100 victims, including DeMay.
“Today’s sentencing of Samuel and Samson Ogoshi sends a thundering message,” U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said in a statement. “To criminals who commit these schemes: you are not immune from justice. We will track you down and hold you accountable, even if we have to go half-way around the world to do so.”
Sexual extortion, or sextortion, involves persuading a person to send explicit photos online and then threatening to make the images public unless the victim pays money or engages in sexual favors. The offense has a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 30 years.
U.S. District Judge Robert J. Jonker, who also sentenced the Ogoshis to five years of supervision following their release, said he would decide what restitution the brothers must make once he receives additional information.
Before sentencing the brothers, Jonker said the case called for long sentences. He said both of the defendants had shown a “callous disregard for life,” while noting that the siblings had continued their sextortion scams even after learning that DeMay had killed himself.
“The continuation of the overall scheme even after there was certain knowledge that one individual, the individual in this case, took his own life points to the need for a high sentence,” the judge said during Samson Ogoshi’s sentencing hearing.
DeMay’s mother, Jennifer Buta, told the court during Samuel Ogoshi’s sentencing that her son’s death had left her “shattered to the core, infuriated and trapped in grief.” She said the last text her son sent her was “Mother I love you” — a text she awoke to and thought was endearing until she learned that Jordan had killed himself in his bedroom.
“What I thought was an endearing message from Jordan was his goodbye and his reassurance of his love for me,” Buta said. “I would never have imagined that while I was asleep both of the defendants hid behind their screens and tortured Jordan for hours while he was alone.”
DeMay’s stepmother, Jessica DeMay, said during her tearful testimony that she and Jordan’s other relatives will “never again experience pure joy” because every happy moment would be tainted by “a small cloud of sadness around it” that comes from Jordan’s death.
The teen’s father, John DeMay, told the court he is haunted by the image of “my son laying on his bed dead with a gunshot wound to his head.”
“Jordan was an amazing young man. He was resilient, he was smart, he was educated, he was an athlete. He was my only son. And you got to talk to him for the last time in his life. That’s horrifying to me,” he said.
Samuel Ogoshi’s attorney, Sean Tilton, said his client has cooperated with authorities and has written a letter of apology. He said Samuel Ogoshi is remorseful “and feels a tremendous sense of guilt of the loss of life in this case.”
Samson Ogoshi’s attorney, Julia Kelly, said during his sentencing that her client is “very remorseful” and that he was 18 when he began taking part in extortion and scam attempts. She said such scams are common in Lagos, Nigeria, and he saw those as a quick way to make money.
Kelly wrote in a court filing that “hundreds of people just like him were involved in similar scamming.”
“He was told who could get him a hacked account, how to make a fake profile, how to boost accounts and, because English is not his first language, was given a script of what to say,” she wrote.
veryGood! (61)
Related
- Mattel says it ‘deeply’ regrets misprint on ‘Wicked’ dolls packaging that links to porn site
- Japan sees record number of bear attacks as ranges increase
- Ex-Florida QB Jalen Kitna is headed to UAB after serving probation
- Lions insist NFL officials erred with penalty on crucial 2-point conversion
- LSU leads college football Week 11 Misery Index after College Football Playoff hopes go bust
- Gymnast Shilese Jones Reveals How Her Late Father Sylvester Is Inspiring Her Road to the Olympics
- Gaza family tries to protect newborn quadruplets amid destruction of war
- The year in review: Top news stories of 2023 month-by-month
- Inside Dream Kardashian's Sporty 8th Birthday Party
- US forces shoot down ballistic missiles in Red Sea, kills gunmen in attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels
Ranking
- Judith Jamison, acclaimed Alvin Ailey American dancer and director, dead at 81
- Are banks, post offices, UPS and FedEx open on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day?
- What's open on New Year's Eve? Stores, restaurants and fast food places ringing in 2024 with open doors.
- On her 18th birthday, North Carolina woman won $250,000 on her first ever scratch-off
- 'We suffered great damage': Fierce California wildfire burns homes, businesses
- See New Year's Eve store hours for Walmart, Target, Costco, Kroger, Publix, Aldi, more
- 122 fishermen rescued after getting stranded on Minnesota ice floe, officials say
- Astrologer Susan Miller Reveals Her 2024 Predictions for Each Zodiac Sign
Recommendation
-
J.Crew Outlet Quietly Drops Their Black Friday Deals - Save Up to 70% off Everything, Styles Start at $12
-
Cowboys vs. Lions Saturday NFL game highlights: Dallas holds off Detroit in controversial finish
-
Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco Embrace in New Photo Amid Blossoming Romance
-
Want a polar bear plunge on New Year's Day? Here's a deep dive on cold water dips
-
The Office's Kate Flannery Defends John Krasinski's Sexiest Man Alive Win
-
2024 NFL draft first-round order: Carolina Panthers hand Chicago Bears the No. 1 pick
-
Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper appears to throw drink at Jacksonville Jaguars fans
-
Most funding for endangered species only benefits a few creatures. Thousands of others are left in limbo