Two Nigerian brothers were sentenced to 17 1/2 years in federal prison on Thursday after admitting to sexually extorting teenage boys and young men across the U.S., including a 17-year-old Michigan teen who died by suicide.
Samuel Ogoshi, 24, and Samson Ogoshi, 21, were sentenced following emotional statements from the family of Jordan DeMay, who took his own life in March 2022 after being targeted in a sextortion scheme by the brothers.
The Ogoshis, extradited from Nigeria to face trial, pleaded guilty in April to conspiring to exploit teenage boys.
Prosecutors accused them of operating a sextortion ring in which they posed as a woman, coercing DeMay into sending explicit photos, then blackmailing him. The scheme targeted over 100 victims, including DeMay.
U.S. Attorney Mark Totten emphasized that the sentencing sends a strong message to criminals involved in sextortion, vowing to hold them accountable regardless of their location.
U.S. District Judge Robert J. Jonker imposed the sentence and highlighted the brothers’ disregard for life, noting that they continued their scams even after learning of DeMay’s death.
Before sentencing, DeMay’s family delivered heart-wrenching statements, expressing the profound grief and devastation caused by Jordan’s death.
His mother, Jennifer Buta, shared that her son’s final message to her, “Mother I love you,” initially seemed touching but was ultimately his farewell.
Jordan’s father, John DeMay, described the lasting trauma of finding his son dead from a gunshot wound.
Attorneys for the brothers said they showed remorse, with Samuel Ogoshi writing an apology letter. However, Samson Ogoshi’s lawyer pointed out that such scams are widespread in Lagos, Nigeria, and Samson had been drawn into the scheme at a young age.
