U.S. attorney: 'Startling increase' in sextortion cases

Apr. 18—MARQUETTE — Plea agreements filed by a U.S. attorney in federal court offer some insight and more details about an international sextortion case brought by federal prosecutors following the death of an Upper Peninsula teenager.

Brothers Samuel Ogoshi, 22, and Samson Ogoshi, 20, of Lagos, Nigeria each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to sexually exploit teenage boys in Michigan and other states, a crime that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison.

Mark Totten, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Michigan, previously estimated the conspiracy involved as many as 100 victims, at least 11 of whom were children.

A third man, Ezekiel Robert, 19, also of Lagos, Nigeria, was previously indicted on related charges and Totten said his office is pursuing extradition.

"Today's guilty pleas represent an extraordinary success in the prosecution of international sextortion," Totten said April 10. "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."

Totten also said he hoped the guilty pleas brought some measure of justice for the family of Jordan DeMay, a 17-year-old Marquette student and homecoming king of his high school, who in 2022 died by suicide after being targeted in the sextortion scam.

In September, Totten visited Leelanau County and appeared with other law enforcement officers during a public panel discussion about sextortion to educate parents and encourage teens to seek help from family and friends if they encountered online harassment or threats.

The conspiracy, which according to court documents began prior to February 2021 and continued through January 2023, worked like this:

The Ogoshi brothers and Robert purchased access to hacked Instagram accounts and used data they contained to create fake social media profiles, posing as young women.

The three men then shared ideas with one another about how to pass themselves off as women in private messenger chats with the teenage boys and young adult men they communicated with online.

While one of the men chatted with a victim, the other two conducted research using Google and other search engines to learn where the victim lived, where he went to school, and the identities of his friends and family.

The men then convinced multiple victims, at least 11 of whom were under the age of 18 and one of whom was 15, to use social media to send sexually explicit images of themselves, which the Ogoshi brothers and Robert assembled into what prosecutors called "collages."

"The co-conspirators then threatened to disclose the collages to the family, friends, and classmates of the victim unless the victim agreed to pay money," using online payment applications like Apple Pay and Zelle, prosecutors said in court documents.

Court records show that after DeMay sent the men $300, stating that was all the money he had, Samuel Ogoshi responded with repeated threats; this extortion, prosecutors said, resulted in DeMay's death but did not halt the conspiracy.

Google records acquired by prosecutors show in the days after DeMay's death, Samuel Ogoshi searched for, among other subjects, "How to hide my IP address without VPN," "how can fbi track my ip from another country" and "Instagram blackmail death."

The Ogoshi brothers admitted to FBI investigators that DeMay's death did not halt their participation in sextortion-type activities against additional victims.

"Instead, they kept engaging in sextortion; when they were arrested in January 2023, their phones contained evidence they had continued to engage in sextortion up to their arrest," prosecutors said in documents filed prior to the bond hearing.

Samuel Ogoshi and Samson Ogoshi were detained under an order signed by federal judge Robert Jonker; the Ogoshi's attorney, Julia Anne Kelly of Grand Rapids, could not be reached for comment.

Totten said law enforcement in Michigan and in other states have observed a "startling increase" in sextortion crimes resulting in death.

On Wednesday, in an unrelated case, a South Carolina man was indicted on seven criminal charges ranging from stalking to wire fraud, following what court records state was an extortion scheme resulting in the death by suicide of a teenager who lived near Grand Rapids.

Glenn Daeward Boyd, 35, of Kershaw, South Carolina, was charged earlier this month, records show.

"I strongly urge everyone who carries a device or is active online to remain aware that criminals constantly troll the internet and social media," Totten said.

"To not assume people are who they say they are, and to know that, if you make a mistake, law enforcement is eager and ready to help," Totten said.

Cheyvoryea Gibson, a Michigan FBI agent, said the bureau has resources available to anyone who believes they may be a victim of a sextortion scheme. She encourages them to call 800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

And those who believe they may have been victimized but are uncomfortable calling the tipline themselves, can rely on someone they trust to call on their behalf, Gibson said.