Three men from Nigeria are facing extradition to America for the sexual extortion — or “sextorting” — of several young American men, including a 17-year-old high school basketball player from Marquette, Michigan, who killed himself amid the threats.   

Jordan DeMay was found dead on March 25, 2022, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He had been extorted by a Nigerian man who, by pretending to be a beautiful woman online, tricked DeMay into sending him explicit nude photos, then threatened to disseminate the photos if he did not send money. 

Samuel Ogoshi, Samson Ogoshi, and Ezekiel Ejehem Robert of Lagos, Nigeria, are being charged with conspiring to exploit minors sexually, distributing child pornography, and stalking through the internet, according to the indictment. Samuel Ogoshi is also being charged with sexually exploiting DeMay, who was a minor, which resulted in death. 

As part of the sextortion ring, someone would hack social media accounts and sell them to the three Nigerian men. Once in, they would pretend to be girls and young women to lure teenage boys and young men into sending them sexual images of themselves. They contacted about 100 people, according to the indictment. 

The Nigerian men would then create a collage of those pictures and threaten to share it with the victim’s followers unless they agreed to send them money. On March 25 last year, after inducing DeMay to send a naked picture of him, Samuel Ogoshi used the Instagram account dani.robertts to extort him.

“I have screenshot all ur followers and tags can send this nudes to everyone and also send your nudes to your Family and friends Until it goes viral. … All you’ve to do is to cooperate with me and I won’t expose you,” the first message said. Samuel then asked DeMay to pay $1,000. DeMay paid $300, as he didn’t have more. The threats continued. 

DeMay said he was going to kill himself because of the threats. “Good,” Samuel Ogoshi replied. “Do that fast. Or I’ll make you do it. I swear to God.” 

The United States attorney for the Western District of Michigan, Mark Totten, announced last month the unsealing of the federal government against the three Nigerian men. The indictment was originally filed last fall. 

“Sextortion is a horrible crime that can leave especially younger victims feeling ashamed with nowhere to turn,” Mr. Totten said. “My heart goes out to the family of Jordan DeMay. Nothing can bring Jordan back, but my office is committed to securing justice.” Mr. Totten also added that, together with DeMay’s family, he will send a warning to protect others and their families.

When DeMay’s parents found out their son had potentially been the victim of a sextortion scam, they decided to share his story to create awareness, DeMay’s mother, Jennifer Buta, said in a statement. 

“We wanted everyone to be aware of sextortion and have those tough conversations with their families so if it did happen to them, they knew to talk to someone,” the statement said. “Our family has forever been changed by this heinous crime and our objective is to prevent another individual from being victimized.”

Agents from FBI Michigan traveled to Nigeria earlier this year to investigate with the local government. A Nigerian law enforcement agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, arrested Mr. Robert and Messrs. Ogoshi. The three men are facing extradition to America. Yet, the timeline for their extradition and the date for their appearance in the country is unknown.

 “Financial sextortion is a global crisis that impacts teens in our country and around the globe,” the special agent in charge of the FBI in Michigan, James Tarasca, said. He added the FBI is working with domestic and international law enforcement to prevent youth from becoming victims of sextortion.

While sextortion of women has received extensive press coverage in America, sextortion of teen boys has received far less attention. 

DeMay is not the only young man who committed suicide after being targeted by Nigerian sextortionists. On December 1 of last year, a 16-year-old sophomore student at Starkville Academy in Mississippi, Walker Montgomery, took his life after being the victim of a sextortion scheme. A month after his death, Walker’s phone was given to the FBI, which confirmed the IP address of the hacker had been tracked to Nigeria.

It is unknown if these Nigerian sextortionists are connected to the three men now facing extradition to America for DeMay’s death.

In the meantime, DeMay’s family continues to remember him cruising his car listening to music, and soaking up the sun at the beach with a smile that lit up every room he was in. 

“Jordan’s charm and beautiful smile were contagious, drawing people to him wherever he went and leaving a lasting impression on everyone he met,” the statement said. “Jordan will never be forgotten. He will forever be in our hearts and will drive us forward to share his story and help others.”