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Nigerian brothers sentenced to 17.5 years in sextortion case linked to Michigan teen’s suicide

Samson and Samuel Ogoshi pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to sexually exploit minors

Thursday was sentencing day for two Nigerian brothers charged in a sextortion case that led to a Marquette teenager taking his own life.

Officials say both men will spend more than 17 years in prison for their roles in the online scheme.

Jordan Demay, 17, sent sexually explicit images on Instagram to who he thought was a girl.

When he couldn’t pay $1,000 to the crooks who were asking to keep the photos a secret, he committed suicide.

Local 4 spoke to his mother on Thursday (Sept. 5) after the hearing.

When asked about her reaction to the sentencing, Demay’s mother, Jennifer Buta, said, “Today was really a landmark day. And that someone is being held accountable for what happened to Jordan. But no matter what sentence the judge would have given to these brothers, it doesn’t change my life in that Jordan is not coming back. But they do have their time to serve for what they did to Jordan.”

Jordan DeMay with his family. [GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-the-demay-family ] (DeMay Family GoFundMe Page)

Samson and Samuel Ogoshi both pleaded guilty back in April to charges of conspiracy to sexually exploit minors.

On Thursday, the men were sentenced to 17.5 years in prison. It’s the first time criminals from Nigeria have been tracked, charged, and extradited to the United States to face charges.

Thursday was sentencing day for two Nigerian brothers charged in a sextortion case that led to a Marquette teenager taking his own life. (Copyright 2024 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.)

Demay’s father spoke to the media shortly after the hearing.

“This is a message that the United States is not going to let this happen,” said John. “The message is for the bad actors on the other side of the world that if they think they’re going to hide behind the waters of the ocean, it is over, and we’re going to do everything to hold you accountable if you’re going to participate in these things.”

Both parents said the time is now to take action to protect our kids and our communities.

“I think parents need to educate themselves about how social media works and really let it sink in that this is a scam nobody is safe from,” Buta said. “They need to have open conversations with their children that if anyone asks them for photos or money, that’s a situation where they need to go to an adult to seek help, and also, these kids are the victims in this. If they are targeted, they should not be ashamed to come forward. And say, ‘This is what I have going on; can you please help me.’”

Jordan’s case is still ongoing, and one more person is in Nigeria waiting to be extradited to the U.S. to face charges.

Five people were involved in the United States, including four in Georgia and one in Alabama. Their initial court hearings are coming up later this year.

Thursday was sentencing day for two Nigerian brothers charged in a sextortion case that led to a Marquette teenager taking his own life. (Copyright 2024 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.)


About the Authors
Kimberly Gill headshot

You can watch Kimberly Gill weekdays anchoring Local 4 News at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. and streaming live at 10 p.m. on Local 4+. She's an award-winning journalist who finally called Detroit home in 2014. Kim has won Regional Emmy Awards, and was part of the team that won the National Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Newscast in 2022.

Brandon Carr headshot

Brandon Carr is a digital content producer for ClickOnDetroit and has been with WDIV Local 4 since November 2021. Brandon is the 2015 Solomon Kinloch Humanitarian award recipient for Community Service.

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