MARQUETTE — Two men have been extradited from Nigeria regarding the sextortion case that resulted in the 2022 death of a Marquette Senior High School student.

Mark Totten, U.S. attorney for for the Western District of Michigan, and Devin Kowalski, acting special agent in charge of the FBI in Michigan, announced the extraditions on Sunday at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids.

The international sextortion ring involved defendants from Nigeria. Sextortion refers to the practice of extorting money or sexual favors from someone by threatening to reveal evidence of their sexually related activity.

Totten said Samuel Ogoshi, 22, and Samson Ogoshi, 20, both of Lagos, Nigeria, arrived at the airport on Sunday morning.

On March 25, 2022, Jordan DeMay, 17, of Marquette, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, which prompted an investigation by the Marquette County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI.

On May 3 of this year, Totten announced indictments for the Ogoshis as well as Ezekiel Ejehem Robert, 19, also of Lagos.

“The extradition proceedings are underway as to this third defendant, and we are optimistic that he will be extradited as well,” Totten said.

The extradited defendants’ initial court appearance took place on Monday at the federal courthouse in Grand Rapids. They are expected to be arraigned on Thursday.

Nigerian authorities arrested Samuel and Samson Ogoshi in Nigeria in January at the request of the United States. Nigerian prosecutors managed the extradition proceedings on behalf of the United States.

The indictment alleges that these defendants targeted more than 100 victims, both minors and adults, Totten said, with DeMay being one of those victims.

The charges

All the defendants, Totten said, have been charged with three crimes.

Count 1 charges Samuel Ogoshi with sexual exploitation and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death in association with the death of DeMay. The charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison and a statutory mandatory minimum of 30 years in prison.

Count 2 charges both men with conspiracy to sexually exploit minors by causing the minors to produce child pornographic images that the defendants then used to blackmail the minors. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison.

Count 3 charges both men with conspiracy to distribute child pornography for sending the child pornography images to the minors, as well as their families and friends. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison.

Count 4 charges both men with conspiracy to commit stalking through the Internet for engaging in this sextortion scheme as it relates to both minors and young adults. The charge has a maximum penalty of five years in prison. All charges have provisions for fines, restitution and supervised release after their release from prison.

According to Totten, the grand jury alleges that the defendants bought hacked social media accounts and used the accounts to pose as young women to lure teenage and young adult males into sexual chats. One of the accounts used was an Instagram account bearing the username “dani.robertts,” which communicated with DeMay shortly before his death.

After initiating chat conversations with the victims, the defendants simultaneously used Google and other online applications to research information about the victims, including where the victims lived, where they went to school or worked, and the identities of their family and friends.

The grand jury also alleges that the defendants then solicited their victims to produce and send sexually explicit images of themselves, Totten said. Once the defendants received sexually explicit images, they created collages that included the sexually explicit image alongside other images of the victims from social media, including images of the victims’ school, family and friends.

The defendants then threatened to disclose the collages to others, including the family, friends and classmates, of their victims via social media unless the victims paid money.

Once Samuel Ogoshi had the Instagram account, he used its messaging feature to contact DeMay, Totten said.

“Over the course of a short conversation, Samuel Ogoshi, pretending to be this young woman, persuaded Jordan to send a sexually explicit image of himself,” Totten said.

Having the image in hand, Ogoshi extorted DeMay for money, with DeMay then paying $300, Totten said. However, Ogoshi demanded more money from DeMay.

“A few hours later, Jordan told Samuel Ogoshi that he was now taking his life, and Samuel Ogoshi, responding through the Instagram persona of ‘dani.robertts,’ told him, ‘Do that fast, or I’ll make him do it,'” Totten said.

“Jordan DeMay then took his life.”

This case is being prosecuted by assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Mekaru and Davin Reust, and investigated by the FBI, the Marquette Sheriff’s Office and the Michigan State Police Cybercrimes Unit in Marquette with the cooperation and assistance of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of Nigeria. The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the U.S. Department of State provided critical assistance in seeking the extradition of the defendants.

Nigerian law

enforcement assisted

Earlier this year, agents from FBI Michigan traveled to Nigeria to conduct a cooperative investigation with Nigerian law enforcement officials. The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs worked with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to prepare a request for provisional arrest, with a view toward extradition, of Samuel Ogoshi, Samson Ogoshi and Ezekiel Ejehem Robert. OIA, together with the U.S. Department of State, transmitted the request to Nigeria.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, a Nigerian law enforcement agency, arrested the Ogoshis and Robert. OIA and the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, Nigeria, coordinated with the Central Authority Unit, International Cooperation Department of the Nigerian Office of the Attorney General-Ministry of Justice during their extradition proceedings.

Additionally, the FBI referred information to the EFCC regarding three additional Nigerian males involved in this same sextortion ring. These individuals were arrested by the EFCC on domestic Nigerian changes based on the information that was shared.

The cooperation and assistance of the EFCC were essential in apprehending the defendants, Totten said.

Totten and Kowalski extended their appreciation and thanks to the EFCC, the Nigerian Attorney General’s Office-Ministry of Justice, and all other involved Nigerian authorities for their important partnership in this case.

They also thanked the following Nigerian partners and institutions for their assistance with this case: Acting Executive Chairman Abdulkarim Chukkol, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission; Assistant Director Antoinette Oche-Obe, Central Authority Unit, International Cooperation Department, Office of the Attorney General-Ministry of Justice; Principal State Counsel Pius Akutah, Central Authority Unit, International Cooperation Department, Office of the Attorney General-Ministry of Justice; Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Justice, Nigeria’s EFCC; and the Central Authority Unit, International Cooperation Department of the Nigerian Office of the Attorney General-Ministry of Justice.

Kowalski said that less than a week after DeMay’s death, the Marquette office of the FBI opened a case on a then-unknown user who had been extorting DeMay — a multifaceted investigation that involved identifying hundreds of victims, following the digital footprints left behind by the sextortionists, tracking payments made by victims through multiple financial entities, and working with Nigerian law enforcement.

“Make no mistake: Charges of this type brought against subjects outside the United States are rare,” Kowalski said. “Securing extradition of these subjects is even more rare.”

Kowalski also expressed his appreciation to DeMay’s family for its support and patience.

“Without their support, we might not be where we are today,” he said.

Kowalski urged young people, their caregivers and their loved ones to educate themselves about sextortion.

Additionally, he stressed that they learn how the crime occurs and to discuss online safety to reduce stigma, and therefore save children’s lives.

“The predator is to blame, not your child or you,” Kowalski said.

He suggested people contact the FBI at 800-CALL-FBI or report a crime at tips.fbi.gov.

Totten said the investigation is ongoing, with the possibility of more charges.

Christie Mastric can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 550. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net.