LANSING, Mich. – Lawmakers introduced new legislation in an effort to protect children online from sexual exploitation.
---> FBI warns of increasing sextortion threats: What parents need to know
The bill package, Jordan DeMay’s Law, is named after a 17-year-old from Marquette who killed himself after falling victim to an online sextortion scheme.
Sextortion details
DeMay 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.
Two brothers were sentenced to more than 15 years behind bars each for their role.
What’s inside the bill package
At a press conference discussing the bill package Wednesday, Sept. 25, State Rep. John Fitzgerald was joined by State Rep. Jenn Hill, Jordan’s father John DeMay, Marquette County Sheriff Gregory S. Zyburt, Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom, educators Larissa Hunt and Parween Zaher and State Rep. Kara Hope.
You can watch the full press conference in the video player above.
“Sextortion is one of the most sickening forms of exploitation that we are seeing today and it really does hide in the darkness and preys on young people and vulnerable people,” Fitzgerald said. "Now, let me tell you, as a father, there’s nothing more truly revolting to me than this kind of abuse. Nothing.”
The bill package aims to educate children and bring awareness of sextortion, as well as criminalizing sextortion on a state level.
“I’m sure no parent wants their child’s name on a law, especially not in this kind of a context,” Hope said. “I know I heard a lot about Stranger Danger, but now the stranger is in your home, in your kid’s room, and you don’t know and you didn’t consent.”
Fitzgerald said Jordan’s Law creates a pathway for Michiganders to seek help.
"It’s heartbreaking how this isn’t an isolated situation,” Hill said. “We need all hands on deck. We need parents, teachers, community leaders and lawmakers -- we want to make it so that his life was not in vain.”
Jordan’s Law includes HB 5887, establishing penalties for threatening to release explicit material for coercion; HB 5888, outlining sentencing guidelines for sexual extortion; and HB 5889, mandating collaboration between school districts, the Michigan Department of Education, Michigan State Police and the Department of Attorney General to implement educational policies.
"We’re sending a message to the rest of the world. Michigan will not tolerate the exploitation of our children and we will not let kids go without the support they need,” Hill said. “We’re going to work tirelessly to make sure that Michigan leads the fight against sexual exploitation and keeping our children’s space.”
How sextortion happens
Sextortion begins over the internet and the criminal uses deception and manipulation to convince their victim to engage in explicit activity. It starts as a quick message, something like “Hey, I like gaming too. Let’s chat.”
Trust is built and it escalates and the child is asked to send a naked photo. Then the pressure begins with texts like “Hey, I got your nudes and will ruin your life. I’ll send it to all your followers and make it go viral. Send me $500 and I’ll delete it all.”
The children get scared and are afraid to ask for help.
The FBI said there have been an alarming number of suicides among sextortion victims.
If you believe you or someone you know is the victim of sextortion, do not delete anything on your device before law enforcement can review it. While it may be embarrassing, tell the authorities everything about the encounters you had online.
Call the FBI’s Detroit Field Office at 313-965-2323 or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. You can also file a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov, or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (1-800-THE-LOST or cybertipline.org).
