2 Nigerian Brothers Sentenced For Sextortion That Led To Teen's Death

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