MARQUETTE, Mich. – Five people in the United States have been charged with laundering money for the Nigerian sextortion scheme that led to the suicide death of Michigan teenager Jordan DeMay.
Sextortion details
DeMay, 17, of Marquette, was a student at Marquette High School in March 2022 when Nigerian men contacted him on Instagram, pretending to be a girl.
They convinced DeMay to send nude pictures of himself, and then blackmailed him for money, threatening to send those photos to everyone in his life.
DeMay sent $300, but the men continued to pressure him for more. He killed himself inside his home hours later, officials said.
2 Nigerian men charged
Samuel Ogoshi, 22, and Samson Ogoshi, 20, of Lagos, Nigeria, were tracked down and extradited to Michigan to face charges. It was the first time that someone from Nigeria had been extradited to the U.S. to be held accountable for crimes, according to FBI special agent in charge Cheyvoryea Gibson.
“Make no mistake: Charges of this type brought against subjects outside of the United States are rare,” United States Attorney Mark Totten said. “Securing extradition of these subjects is even more rare.”
Ezekiel Ejehem Robert, 19, was also charged in the case.
According to officials, three additional people were facing charges and moving through the criminal justice system in Nigeria.
The Ogoshis eventually pleaded guilty to sexploitation of children. As part of their plea deal, other charges were dropped.
Samuel Ogoshi previously faced charges of sexual exploitation and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death, conspiracy to distribute child pornography, and conspiracy to commit stalking through the internet.
Samson Ogoshi previously faced charges of conspiracy to distribute child pornography and conspiracy to commit stalking through the internet.
Both men were remanded to the custody of U.S. Marshals. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 5, 2024.
5 charged with money laundering
On Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, Totten revealed that five people in the U.S. have been charged in connection with the sextortion scheme.
These five men are U.S. citizens, and that was also the case at the time of the scehem, Totten said:
- Jonathan Demetrius Green, 32, of Stone Mountain, Georgia.
- Jarell Daivon Williams, 31, of McDonough, Georgia.
- Dinsimore Guyton Robinson, 30, of Huntsville, Alabama.
- Kendall Ormond London Jr., 32, of Lithonia, Georgia.
- Brian Keith Coldmon Jr., 30, of Stone Mountain, Georgia.
Officials said the men were arrested Thursday. They’re each facing one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which is a felony with a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
They made their initial federal court appearance on Thursday.
Their job was to clean the money sent by victims of the sextortion scheme.
Totten said they ran cash app accounts that received payments from boys and young men who were sextorted and blackmailed by the Ogoshis.
“These individuals, we allege, facilitated the sextortion scheme by receiving payments from the victims and transferring the money to Nigeria, ultimately to those carrying out the scheme that resulted to the death of Jordan DeMay and victimized many others,” Totten said.
The money launderers would keep about 20% of the money for themselves and convert the rest into Bitcoin. The Bitcoin was sent to Nigeria, where it went to the sextortionists, Totten said.
At least $178,658 was taken from more than 100 victims during the course of this scheme, officials said.
Totten said the FBI was able to track the specific $300 cash app transfer from DeMay. He made the payment to an account controlled by Green.
Totten said he’s not ready to reveal how the Nigerians and the money launderers initially connected, but he mentioned the involvement of someone known as “The Plug.”