GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. — Two suspects allegedly part of an international sextortion scheme appeared in federal court for the first time on Monday. The case is tied to the death of 17-year-old Jordan DeMay of Marquette.
On Sunday, the Nigerian brothers were extradited to Grand Rapids, and as of Monday, a third suspect, 19-year-old Ezekiel Robert, is still awaiting extradition.
22-year-old Samuel Ogoshi and 20-year-old Samson Ogashi both face three counts: conspiracy to sexually exploit minors, conspiracy to distribute child pornography, and conspiracy to commit stalking through the internet.
Samuel Ogoshi is also charged with sexual exploitation and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death and could face up to life in prison.
Monday's hearing lasted only thirty minutes, but we did learn that federal prosecutors will not seek the death penalty.
The brothers are due back in court on Thursday, August 17 for arraignment, a pre-trial conference, and a bond hearing.
These charges date back to March 2022, when 17-year-old Jordan DeMay took his own life after becoming a victim of sextortion.
According to Jordan's mother, Jennifer Buta, Jordan began talking to an individual on Instagram who he thought was a person that was his age.
There was an exchange of sexually explicit images, and then the suspects allegedly asked DeMay for $1,000, otherwise they were going to share the images publicly.
Jordan sent $300 at first, but they continued to ask for more. In messages released from law enforcement, Jordan told one of the suspects that he was going to kill himself and the suspect replied "Good. Do that fast. Or I'll make you do it."
Jordan was described as an incredible young man by his mother, and as court appearances and hearings continue, Jennifer urges advocacy and diligence when talking to your children about social media use.
“Please talk about it as a family. Have a plan in place, if this does happen to your child, and just keep those lines of communication open to let them know that no matter what they do, they can come to you or another trusted adult for help if they get themselves into a situation like this,” says Butta.
Unfortunately, situations like this are increasing. In 2020, the FBI reported a noticeable increase in sextortion crimes during the pandemic because people were spending more time online.
According to Thorn, a non-profit that combats online child sexual abuse, 1 out of 4 victims of sextortion are 13 or younger. Additionally, Homeland Security has found a current trend that sextortion specifically targets young men between the ages of 14 and 17.
Although trends are pointing towards an increase, Chris Mckenna, CEO of Protect Young Eyes makes it as a mission to educate parents and children against the dangers of social media. “Every digital device that a teen has, should be actually owned by the parents, the device doesn't belong to the child," adding "I just think we need to change our entire posture,” says Mckenna.
The Department of Homeland Security lays out this guide for parents when it comes to social media use:
- Have an open dialogue.
- Let your children know that you have their back no matter what.
- Limit their internet use.
- Keep tabs on who their communicating with and limiting Wi-Fi time.
- Review your child’s social media privacy settings.
- Keeping accounts private can prevent predators from gathering their personal information.
- Keep the door open.
- Let them know they can come to you and ask for help, and that helping will always be your top priority.
There are also several common tactics used by predators.
They may...
- Develop a false rapport with the victim
- Secretly record explicit videos and messages during chats
- Use multiple identites to contact the child
- Pretend to be younger or a member of the opposite sex
- Threaten to commit suicide if the victim refuses to send images.
If you or someone you know is a victim of sextortion, the first thing you should do is report it to report.cybertip.org. You can also call 1-800-CALL-FBI or the 24-hour hot line 1-800-THE-LOST.
Authorities also recommend saving all conversations and refuse to pay or send additional images to the perpetrators.
If you are struggling, you can call the national suicide hot line at 988.
Jordan DeMay's family is hosting a 5k and 10K run for Jordan this Fall. You can support the scholarship fund here.
