3 Nigerians Charged After Michigan Teen Dies By Suicide While Being Blackmailed With Nude Photo

Three Nigerian men have been charged in the death of a 17-year-old boy from Michigan who died by suicide because he was blackmailed with a naked picture.

Samuel Ogoshi, 22, Samson Ogoshi, 20, and Ezekiel Ejehem Robert, 19, all of Lagos, Nigeria, are accused of buying hacked social media accounts and using them to pose as girls while interacting with boys.

The chats were sexual in nature and designed to lure the teenage boys into sending nude photos of themselves, officials said.

Once the men had started chatting with a boy, they would research his school, hometown, and family members. They would ask for sexually explicit images and then place those images into collages including non-sexual images taken from social media.

Those collages also included pictures of family members, friends, and classmates, officials said.

Eventually, the trio would use the collages as blackmail, threatening to send them to everyone on social media unless a fee was paid.

More than 100 people were targeted in this sextortion scheme, according to court records.

One of the accounts linked to the scheme had the username “dani.robertts.” That account was used to chat with 17-year-old Jordan DeMay, a student at Marquette Senior High School, according to authorities.

DeMay was talked into sending a naked picture of himself to the “dani.robertts” account, and on May 25, 2022, Samuel Ogoshi used the account to blackmail him, officials said.

HERE’S HOW THE CONVERSATION WENT:

dani.robertts: 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

dani.robertts: Are you gonna cooperate with me

dani.robertts: Just pay me rn (Just pay me right now)

dani.robertts: And I won’t expose you

DeMay: How much

dani.robertts: $1000

After DeMay paid $300, Samuel Ogoshi made more threats, authorities said.

dani.robertts: Goodbye

dani.robertts: Enjoy your miserable life

DeMay: I’m kms rn (I’m kill myself right now)

DeMay Bc of you (because of you)

dani.robertts: Good

dani.robertts: Do that fast

dani.robertts: Or I’ll make you do it

dani.robertts: I swear to God

Messages sent to another teenager

Another teenager targeted by the scheme sent a naked picture of himself on May 25, 2022.

Officials said the following messages were exchanged with that boy:

dani.robertts: Pay me rn (pay me right now)

dani.robertts: $800

dani.robertts: And I’ll end this

dani.robertts: Deal or no deal

Teenager: I don’t have that kind of money

dani.robertts: Haha

dani.robertts: I love this

Teenager: I have $50 in venmo and a $100 cash

dani.robertts: Dude

dani.robertts: Now goodbye

dani.robertts: Enjoy your miserable life

Teenager: Why

dani.robertts: I’ll make this go viral

On March 26, 2022, the following messages were sent:

dani.robertts: I will make you regret you life

dani.robertts: I will make u commit suicide

dani.robertts: I promise you I swear

DeMay’s death sparks investigation

On March 25, 2022, DeMay was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

His death sparked an investigation by the Marquette County Sheriff’s Office, as well as the FBI.

“Sextortion is a horrible crime that can leave especially younger victims feeling ashamed with nowhere to turn,” U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said. “My heart goes out to the family of Jordan DeMay.”

FBI agents from Michigan eventually traced the case to Nigeria, where they traveled to meet with Nigerian law enforcement officials.

Samuel Ogoshi, Samson Ogoshi, and Robert were arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, a law enforcement agency in Nigeria. All three face extradition to the United States to face prosecution. A specific date has not yet been determined.

The EFCC also arrested three additional men involved in the sextortion ring, but their names have not been revealed.

“Financial sextortion is a global crisis that impacts teens in our country and around the globe,” said James A. Tarasca, special agent in charge of the FBI in Michigan.

CHARGES

The FBI announced charges against all three men on Wednesday, May 3, 2023.

Samuel Ogoshi is charged with sexual exploitation and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor resulting in death, conspiracy to sexually exploit minors, conspiracy to distribute child pornography, and conspiracy to commit stalking through the internet.

Samson Ogoshi is charged with conspiracy to sexually exploit minors, conspiracy to distribute child pornography, and conspiracy to commit stalking through the internet.

Robert is charged with conspiracy to sexually exploit minors, conspiracy to distribute child pornography, and conspiracy to commit stalking through the internet.

The sexual exploitation charge carries a penalty of 30 years to life in prison, the conspiracy to sexually exploit minors charge carries a penalty of 15-30 years in prison, the child pornography charge carries a penalty of 5-20 years in prison, and the stalking charge has a max penalty of 5 years in prison.